That athlete very much exists. Ever heard of Sidney Crosby?
Yes, his deal was frontloaded, but he left a ton of money on the table. He could have asked for a 10 year max contract and gotten it. Geno can do the same thing, but he won't for the same reasons Sid didn't.
Doesn't matter. Any contract takes him off the UFA market, and he'll be compensated for giving up his right to field offers from other teams.
It was a hypothetical contingent on him being a UFA. Had he been he would have gotten a good amount more on his deal. That is why RFA / UFA status matter and why the deals for guys like Edler and Karlsson aren't fair comparables.
Letang doesn't take on any personal risk by asking for more money, so I don't understand the hedging bets comment.
If Letang really wanted to he could have this team by the balls and demand $8m+. I don't see that happening, particularly with all of the other stars on the team leaving money on the table, but make no mistake, he could. In the end he'll likely settle for around $7m, which will be a fair contract given his status as an elite young defenseman on the verge of unrestricted free agency.
Again, no he does not. If he wants to get paid top dollar, sure, but he'll get a ton more money from Pittsburgh as an impending UFA as opposed to an RFA for the simple fact that he can test the market.
Sid signed a front loaded deal, and it's not at all like the one Geno would have to sign to make the same amount of money. ****, people are talking about a "gentleman's agreement" between Shero and Malkin already because they fully realize, Geno taking a discount as steep as Sid would see his cap hit at over 10 million.. Over the next 8 years, Sid's making over 10 million dollars per. If you want to play the "Geno should get what Sid gets...then he should have a cap hit around 10 million per year.
Letang takes a personal risk by entering the final year of his contract with no deal. No player likes doing that as a slew of things can happen that are not at all advantageous to his situation going into UFA. He could get a serious injury or he could have a down year. He'd be much better off taking a deal for less than what he could get as a UFA (even though he'll still be paid like a top 10 defenseman...I really cannot emphasis that enough), and he will still get the benefit of playing with a perennial winner, stay in an organization he's comfortable with, play the role and minutes that he desires, and get long term security.
And by the way...Edler was a UFA at the end of this current deal. Karlsson winning a Norris and leading the entire NHL in defensive scoring more than compensates for being a RFA. He got paid like a UFA, the same way Sid and Geno got paid like UFA's. The same way Stamkos and Ovechkin got paid like UFA's. This isn't some new thing that's been happening. Multiple GM's have spoke about how the "2nd deal" no longer exists. These guys are signing their 3rd deals, which pay guys like unrestricted free agents. None of these teams are going to let their guys get to restricted free agency, and they are going to pay them what the going rate for an unrestricted free agent is. Not to mention, a ton of these deals are buying out a lot of UFA years. You have to pay for that as a GM.
Neal could have gotten more if he waited until the end of this year, but he signed the deal before he exploded offensively. That should speak volumes of what I'm talking about. Neal was having a good year, and probably could have waited until the end of the year to cash in much more, but he didn't. He took the deal that was in hand.
In conclusion really, will I be upset if Letang gets 7 million? No, not really. Do I think he's worth 7 million if looking at his skillset? Not at this moment in time. Can he become a 7 million dollar defenseman? For the sake of our team I hope, especially if he gets signed for 56 million.
