I still can’t belive Arizona got Garland THAT cheap.

yeah when I've looked at his contract before I just assumed he was on an ELC

Tbf he only played 36 NHL games and was about to turn 23 when he signed that contract

Nichushkin, Ennis, Kolvie and Marleau shouldn't count; for they all received buyout money.

That's not their fault. They were still forced to settle on low ones because they weren't seen as fit for their previous higher contracts. Teams don't care if you're making money from buyouts already when they sign you.

And player agents only quote a number to recover lost wages, actually Marleau made more money this season than if he wasn't bought out. Patty got his 3 million signing bonus, the Canes bought out 2/3rds of his 1.25 million cash remaining (roughly 833K) and he signs for 700K. So he went from 4.25 million to 4.53 million.

Fabbri was scratched and demoted on a veteran Cup team. It was only after a change of scenery and opportunity to play consistently with more ice time that he showed his talent.

That could happen to anyone. Usually they call it "over-ripening."

None of that is relevant to the team that signs him after buyout though. When the Sharks signed Marleau, they paid 700K and nothing more. That's their investment into the player and the only thing relevant to the discussion. He still could have signed for 1M if it was being offered and earned 4.83M.

At the end of the day, his contract says 700K and he played alright so he's on the list. If you don't want to accept that, there are other players in the 3rd row that can be replacements for ones I put in the lineup.