Rejoint: juill. 2021
Messages: 1,211
Mentions "j'aime": 619
I think this is a loss for Anaheim. Sure, they got him signed for 3 years at what is likely to turn out to be a bargain price, but during those 3 years they’re probably going to be neither good nor cap challenged. It’s a low-risk signing in that it’s unlikely he’ll be overpaid by the end of it, but depending on their rebuild plan and how many RFA years he has left after this contract, there’s a very real risk that just as the team is ready to challenge for a playoff spot, they’ll either have to break the bank to keep him, making it more difficult to improve the team by bringing in other players, or they’ll have to trade him for futures or lesser players to avoid him fast-tracking his way to unrestricted free agency. (CapFriendly shows him not being arbitration eligible after this contract, so maybe he'll still owe them a couple more years before he can leave, in which case it might not be as bad as I think. The longer he has to stay, the more likely the team will be good enough for him to want to stay longer.)
For those reasons, I assume it’s Zegras who wanted the shorter term, not the team. I think most players are willing to give up future potential earnings for the security of a long-term contract, but I guess Zegras is one of those who’d rather do the opposite – give up short-term earnings for the chance at a bigger payoff later – also known as betting on yourself. It'll be interesting to see what they end up doing with Drysdale. A 1 or 2-year "wait and see" deal might be better for him after the injury that kept him out most of last season.