Quoting: Byrr
That's an awfully rosy picture. Year in and year out actually means this season and last because 2 years ago he was on waivers and teams could have had him for free. That's the risk the Ducks are taking by keeping him and why they would move him while he still is their leading scorer. His value could plummet to near zero again as it has before in recent history. There is still a fair amount of risk there the Ducks would be holding on to.
Oh, look at you, still hung up on "we could have had him for free, why would we pay for him?"
Firstly, In the last 5 seasons, including his current contract (you know, the one he was placed on waivers for in the 20-21 season) He has finished the following in team points. 4th, 1st, 4th (in the season he was waived!), 3rd, and is currently 3rd amongst Ducks. Oh, wait, sorry, I said he was one of our leading scorers, that implies goals, not points, let me check my notes, hmmmmm........ past five seasons he is 3rd, 1st, 2nd (in the season he was waived!), 3rd, and tied for first this season. Yeah, sorry, your statement doesn't check out.
Secondly, even in this ACGM, Toronto is looking for retained salary, which we are willing to provide, at a cost. Cap space doesn't come free, and this year, it doesn't come cheap, particularly considering you are getting a full season of retention after this one, as Rico isn't a rental. He may not be worth a lot at 5.8 next season if its a rough year for him, but he will still be valuable at 2.9.
So yeah, given we don't have cap constraints next season, the crop of pending LW UFA's is crap, he is loved amongst our fan base, and we don't really have an internal replacement for him at the moment, we will hold out for our high price, or we will hang onto him until next season and ship him out as a rental for a 2nd and a ~B prospect, our risk is minimal.