Shea Weber will never play in the NHL again. If the 36-year-old defender refuses to speak to the media, as was the case once again in Vancouver on Wednesday, it is because he fears to escape about his retirement.
Confirming it while there are still four years left on her contract would have serious consequences.
Not because of the $6 million he still has to earn. According to the capfriendly site, an authority on the subject, the sum of the contracts that Weber has signed during his career totals more than $124 million. He and his family are secure for generations to come.
Officially announcing his retirement would be rather expensive for the Nashville Predators who, due to the structure of the contract signed in July 2012, would have to pay a penalty of a few tens of millions of dollars, the details of which would be tedious to list here. .
Consequently, the annual footprint of $7.86 million will be recorded on the Canadiens’ payroll for the next four seasons. It might take a long time in a post-pandemic world where the salary cap doesn’t move much.
Unless, as there is more and more talk about ten days before the deadline for transactions, Kent Hughes manages to send this contract elsewhere.
Achieving this is probably not a problem in itself. However, those expecting Hughes to get a sizable return in exchange for Weber’s pact will have to revise their expectations.
The NHL may be an environment where everyone knows each other, it is not tomorrow the day before that a general manager will help a colleague to get out of a precarious situation by offering him, in addition, a gift. Rather, the reverse is likely to occur.
The Good Samaritans
Over the past decade, more than a dozen transactions involving similar cases have been completed. Transactions that can be divided into two categories: that of heavy contracts for active players and that of heavy contracts for long-term injured players.
In the first case, a general manager does a favor to a colleague by agreeing to remove a thorn from his side. At this time, the team that wishes to get rid of a heavy contract must usually offer the good Samaritan who agrees to accommodate it a high draft pick (1er or 2and tower).
In the second, which can be described as an exchange of good practices, the problematic situation of one general manager becomes a solution for another (think of a team that wishes to approach the salary floor).
In this category, which represents Weber’s situation, the requirements are lower. We usually talk about mid-career veterans or support players. No heavy losses.
An interesting incentive
But, somehow, the team that tries to divest itself of a big contract or part with a player who is on the long-term injured list never gets a big deal. thing back.
In the case of Weber, what can be interesting for a general manager whose owner is poor (Arizona) or simply stingy (Ottawa), is that his real salary will be $3M next season and only $1M $ in each of the last three seasons of his contract.
Not to mention that, since Weber is on the long-term injured list, NHL insurance will pay 60% to 80% of the bill.
Obtain $7.86M on a payroll at a fraction of the price. For some DGs, this could be an interesting incentive.