Why the offer sheet system is broken
- Thread starter LadyStanley
- Start date
mouser
Business of Hockey
The offer sheet system is working—RFA’s are getting bigger and longer contracts on average today then at any point in NHL history.
The logical flaw is looking at the Offer Sheets in a vaccum as “not working” because we rarely ever see players switching teams via offer sheets. When the real question should be “are the RFA’s being paid on average more then they were previously due to the existence of offer sheets and other CBA changes”? I think the answer to that is resoundingly Yes.
The logical flaw is looking at the Offer Sheets in a vaccum as “not working” because we rarely ever see players switching teams via offer sheets. When the real question should be “are the RFA’s being paid on average more then they were previously due to the existence of offer sheets and other CBA changes”? I think the answer to that is resoundingly Yes.
Fourier
Registered User
The system needs to and will be fixed eventually. Not any time soon, but I believe it will happen.
Fourier
Registered User
What is broken though? As mouser so astutely points out the system is not designed so that there are many successful offer sheets. In fact exactly the opposite. They are intended to be rare since teams want control of their young players. In contrast, the possibility of an OS forces teams to pay their players coming off their ECL's a fair wage. Without this threat teams would have far more leverage.The system needs to and will be fixed eventually. Not any time soon, but I believe it will happen.
I don't know if that's quite correct. If a team offers 7.5m to a player,,,,and the the picks that go with, it might be very good deal for the team that "owns" the player currently. Let's imagine they have 6.5m allotted for that player, so now if they don't match, they now 6.5m to spend on another player plus they get the picks.
Don't see how the team that loses the player really the in "value". You can't really look at the team losing the player as just getting the picks, they always have additional cap to spend elsewhere.
The other point that seem to be ignored is that players aren't that interested in signing offer sheets. These players generally are going to UFA in four years or less. So if an offer sheet is let's say for seven years, the player iand he will lose his UFA eligibility a lot sooner.
The unwritten rule of not signing a player to an offer sheet for fear of retribution is the biggest deterrent in my opinion.
You are willing to spend two 1sts on a player then sign him to a contract, but won't offer sheet him the same contract which would cost a similar price? Come on now. No reason any GM shouldn't be willing to offer sheet certain players.
You are willing to spend two 1sts on a player then sign him to a contract, but won't offer sheet him the same contract which would cost a similar price? Come on now. No reason any GM shouldn't be willing to offer sheet certain players.
Whether or not the offer sheet system is "broken" depends on whom one expects it to help.
If the POV is that the offer sheet system is designed to help RFA's who are essential to their teams, the offer sheet system "works". No team wants to see an essential RFA get an offer sheet, and there's no incentive for a team to ever let it get to that point. Even if it did, an offer sheet would simply be matched.
OTOH there are situations where teams have players that are extras in one way or another. If the offer sheet system is designed to give those players some measure of control about their own futures, the offer sheet system is a total failure.
I mean the Grubauer situation is the key kind of scenario. His trade value is predicated upon the fact that it will reflect poorly on him as a player if he fails to resign wherever he is traded. And that is why the offer sheet system is broken, because teams will follow an unwritten rule not to offer sheet such a player (i.e. collude) to make sure that such RFAs do not control their own future.
The fix would be to allow trading arbitration-eligible RFA's to refuse being traded after the conclusion of the season leading up to their free agency.
If the POV is that the offer sheet system is designed to help RFA's who are essential to their teams, the offer sheet system "works". No team wants to see an essential RFA get an offer sheet, and there's no incentive for a team to ever let it get to that point. Even if it did, an offer sheet would simply be matched.
OTOH there are situations where teams have players that are extras in one way or another. If the offer sheet system is designed to give those players some measure of control about their own futures, the offer sheet system is a total failure.
I mean the Grubauer situation is the key kind of scenario. His trade value is predicated upon the fact that it will reflect poorly on him as a player if he fails to resign wherever he is traded. And that is why the offer sheet system is broken, because teams will follow an unwritten rule not to offer sheet such a player (i.e. collude) to make sure that such RFAs do not control their own future.
The fix would be to allow trading arbitration-eligible RFA's to refuse being traded after the conclusion of the season leading up to their free agency.
joestevens29
Registered User
- Apr 30, 2009
- 52,759
- 15,413
It is a bit interesting if you allow teams to use any picks. Might see some of the lower end teams make more offer sheets, but as it stands today if you were a bottom 5 club are you really going risk using your own picks?
Fourier
Registered User
I know. I think there ought to be if the point of the offer sheet system is to give the RFA some say in their future. Otherwise I think the only purpose the offer sheet system serves is to prevent teams from railroading young stars.
Fourier
Registered User
Ok. I misread your post. I thought you were arguing that RFA's should not be able to refuse trades.
Burke the Legend
Registered User
- Feb 22, 2012
- 8,317
- 2,850
The offer sheet possibility exists as a mechanism to force teams to offer market value to RFAs. Not so RFAs would actually switch. It's check & balance to avoid embarrassing holdout situations where some kind of cheap owner is trying to hardball an all-star RFA into signing a long term, way below market contract.
mouser
Business of Hockey
I don't see any reason to believe that the offer sheet system was intended to give players "some measure of control about their own futures". If Grubauer is traded somewhere he doesn't like the best options are to hold out for a trade, only agree to a one year contract, or go to arbitration to receive a one year contract so he can sign wherever he wants as a UFA the following season.
Those are all better options imo then trying to hold out for an offer sheet.
I can't disagree about the bolded because I don't have any evidence about whom the RFA system is supposed to help. But I do disagree with the underlined. I mean, any offer sheets would likely be done well before arbitration. The idea that having fewer options is better than having more seems wrong.
The way things are, the term 'restricted free agent' is a bit of a feeble joke. There's rights-owned and arbitration ineligible players and rights-owned arbitration eligible players. There is no restricted free agency, really.
LadyStanley
Registered User
Custance: Straw poll of NHL GMs suggests offer sheet drought...
Custance of the Athletic (paywall) on offer sheets. 9 GMs polled; none think there will be any offer sheets this summer.
In part because...
Custance of the Athletic (paywall) on offer sheets. 9 GMs polled; none think there will be any offer sheets this summer.
In part because...
I’ve also wondered whether players themselves are reluctant to sign deals.
Assume a player like Trouba decides to hit the market. He’s built himself enough of a track record that there’s a general bracket he slides into +/- a few hundred thousand. No team is going to offer him anything unpalatable for WPG not to match because they’re not going to screw up their cap structure. He’ll get his approximate value, nothing more and hopefully nothing less.
Assume he’s a 7-7.5 million dollar player for argument sake. If another team offers it to you, why take it? You know Winnipeg is going to match, so you are going back there anyway. There may be animus in the city or possibly the room. Plus, all the incidental clauses you’ve inserted (ie NMC, etc.) are voided from the contract. It actually gives you a weaker contract than the one you initially signed. I recall that from the Weber matching. You might get traded the next year to a team you don’t want to go to.
There doesn’t really seem to be incentive for a player to accept one in this day and age.
Assume a player like Trouba decides to hit the market. He’s built himself enough of a track record that there’s a general bracket he slides into +/- a few hundred thousand. No team is going to offer him anything unpalatable for WPG not to match because they’re not going to screw up their cap structure. He’ll get his approximate value, nothing more and hopefully nothing less.
Assume he’s a 7-7.5 million dollar player for argument sake. If another team offers it to you, why take it? You know Winnipeg is going to match, so you are going back there anyway. There may be animus in the city or possibly the room. Plus, all the incidental clauses you’ve inserted (ie NMC, etc.) are voided from the contract. It actually gives you a weaker contract than the one you initially signed. I recall that from the Weber matching. You might get traded the next year to a team you don’t want to go to.
There doesn’t really seem to be incentive for a player to accept one in this day and age.
BigBadBruins7708
Registered User
well the point of the offer sheet system was NOT to have RFAs change teams.
the point was to increase the pay guys are getting on their RFA deals by giving the player some leverage....and it has 100% worked.
Tawnos
A guy with a bass
In addition to what others have said.... players staying with one team for as long a term as possible is a GOOD thing for fans. If a consequence of the current RFA system is that players stay put, that’s a positive.
Same goes for people lamenting that star players never make it to UFA.
Same goes for people lamenting that star players never make it to UFA.
justafan22
Registered User
- Jun 22, 2014
- 11,629
- 6,249
Agreed. Offersheets do give leverage to RFA.
The threat is sometimes stronger than its execution.
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