Be it an RFA or a UFA, never underestimate how much value a player will place on winning and being somewhere with a Cup truly in site, in an organization clearly dedicated to going for the trophy.
Our guys, and many players around the league, have seen us bow out in wonderful battles to the eventual SC winner two seasons in a row.
You can bet your bottom dollar that guys who can see themselves putting us over the top or wanting to remain cogs in this effort are NOT going to skip out on that opportunity because they could get a million more elsewhere or another year or two tagged onto their contract.
Not when the goal I just described above is so damn close.
SIDENOTE:
Both Parise and Suter have more money than they'll ever need. They are set for life, as are their families. At their age, their SOLE reason to continue to play is to get that cup. There is no other goal. So let's see just how much they see us as the team to do it with.
This ain't a great take. You don't know what Parise/Suter's personal lives look like currently or their goals are nor more than you know their current bank accounts, who they take care of, or their overall expenses.
Did you have any clue about Jack Johnson's financial situation when it was announced he was bankrupt in 2014?
By positioning this Suter/Parise argument as them wanting to play for a winner as the sole reason for their decisions is some combination of uninformed, unnuanced, or totally tunnel-visioned. Maybe they didn't save well, maybe they're taking care of more family members than just their wife and kids, maybe they want to buy their own 100 million dollar island, or maybe they have the kind of ego that doesn't want to admit their careers are coming to an end and want more money/longer term.
It's certainly nice to be in the position we are now as that of contenders - And not treading water pretenders who are the joke of the league. But let's not get ahead of ourselves and think that because we're a contender that bends all arrows to (quality) free agents signing with us. Their personal decisions are just that - Personal. And we don't know all that goes into them.