Rigamarole - A Foot In Crease - Episode 2.44

www.afootinthecrease.com

Restricted free agents…the NHL’s version of the girlfriend your buddy just broke up with…yes she’s available, but really only in theory. Make a move and your breaking the code between friends leaving a lot of people unhappy. Clearly after seeing how the events we will refer to as “The Thomas Vanek Affair” played out, signing another team’s restricted free agent to an offer sheet leaves the general managers involved with similar unharmonious feelings toward each other. Frankly though I don’t get it!

When Kevin Lowe presented a 7 year deal $50 million deal to Thomas Vanek last week, Sabre GM Darcy Regier’s fuming a short two hour drive away in Buffalo likely contributed to the unbearably high temperatures in Southern Ontario. To paraphrase in a nutshell, Reiger’s response to Lowe’s offer was along the lines of how dare you try sign our player to an inflated contract and put us in a lose-lose situation. Don’t match and the Sabres lose a very talented young player with only draft picks as compensation. As a result, the Sabres did match but now end up having to pay Vanek far more than they likely were prepared to at this point in his career. Sabres managing partner Larry Quinn indicated they are more than prepared to now do the same to the Oilers if the opportunity came along.

So now the Oilers have the Sabres out looking to make a similar move just to spite them for playing within the rules of the business. If they didn’t want Vanek to be exposed to other teams, they should have made like Ray Shero and the Pens and signed Vanek to a long term extension long before he reached restricted free agency. Why bother having the rule in place if every time someone decides to use it, it results in childish name-calling and vindictiveness. It’s a business; there should be no personal feelings involved. Allow your player’s contract to run out to either restricted or unrestricted free agency, your taking a risk. Deal with it. But hey, all that was just rigamarole.