Home Team Ripoff

Wow. So much for the hometown discount! The Sabres gave Tim Connolly an extension for two years at $9 million. That's stunning. It's an average of $4.5 million a season -- a raise of more than 50 percent over Connolly's previous three-year deal, which averaged $2.9 million a year.

Just think how much Connolly would have gotten if he'd actually lived up to the existing deal. He played about a third of the games during that time. Now we know how ludicrous it was to suggest that Connolly would sign for lesser money -- that hometown discount -- just to make things right with fans in Buffalo.

Some people will suggest that Connolly could have gotten more in the open market. I doubt it. While I thought all along that some team would be willing to beat his previous deal, it's hard to imagine any other team going much higher than $4.5 million.

So in the end, the Sabres caved in. They overpaid for Connolly, even though he had burned them the first time. It's a bad deal. As I wrote last month, it was time to cut bait and let someone else take on the huge injury risk. Instead, they gladly take on two more years of it.

It seems to me the Sabres decided they had to take a run at the playoffs this year. But they also weren't willing to keep Connolly for the short term and let him walk for nothing.  They wanted to win both ends of the PR war. Keep Timmy and let the public know how they truly value his talent. They're determined to get a bigger return on their original gamble. So if Connolly suffers another major injury, they could wind up paying him $18 million over five years -- for a guy who played about half the time.

It's a rousing endorsement of soft, finesse hockey. The apologists will continue to gush about Connolly and how he might be the team's most talented player. But to me, this is about Darcy Regier wanting to justify the original contract (not to mention the deal for Michael Peca that brought Connolly to Buffalo) and be right about a soft, injury-prone player.

This is what happens when a GM stays in his job for too long. He becomes unafraid to compound his past mistakes.

(For full coverage of today's NHL trading deadline, go to the Sabres Edge blog).

Comments

[Lloyd Marshall, Jr.]

"It really is beyond me why people go on here just to bash Sully. If you really dislike him that much, DON'T READ HIS STUFF!!!!"

Amen, Matt!

[Matt]

It really is beyond me why people go on here just to bash Sully. If you really dislike him that much, DON'T READ HIS STUFF!!!!

[buffaloboomorbust]

connolly is easily worth 4.5 million a yr, the issue was would he sign for a 3 or 4 yr deal for 14-18 million somewhere else at the end of the yr.

look at the sidney crosby?

how many games has he missed?

is anyone complaining about him not being worth it?

injuries are part of the game, and as someone above said, one never knows who will be healthy and for how long.

vanek played 3 seasons without injury, then missed 9 games.

next yr he might miss 20 and connolly might miss 10.

roy could go down at any minute.

you have to have playmakers, they are at a premium and so you pay for it.

[Bo Knerr]

Several days ago, I made it clear on this blog that if Tiny Tim went somewhere else, stayed healthy, and lit it up - then I would personally light him up! He stayed. No need to thank me.

[DaveD]

I have no issue with Jerry's words. As long as if we make a deep playoff run in any of the next three years with a healthy Connolly - and we all know what that means to this team's offense - as long as Jerry posts an equally sharp-worded post in praise of the "cheap" signing Regier did.

This signing is not "an endorsement" of any style of hockey play. It's merely an "endorsement" of one team GM's belief in the potential of a player's worth. Period.

Oh yeah, and this post is just another step in Jerry's learning curve about blog posting... it seems a bit emotionally rushed.

[Lloyd Marshall, Jr.]

"Sullivan is just being Sullivan. He does a wonderful job at that."

And "Sully being Sully" means he's doing his job.

Too bad you can't say that about Bills or Sabres management, or the players.

[Heather B.]

I'm mostly down on re-signing Connolly but I think you're reaching with the theory that Darcy is trying to justify the original contract, Sully. As boring and straight forward as it may be, I think he just likes Connolly and thinks he's really talented.

[Brendan]

Jerry, you are the type of person who would win the lottery and complain about how much tax liability you have because of it. You can and do complain about everything and anything, and your negative attitude is disgusting. You try and run everyone out of town with your pen/keyboard while trying to convince us that reading about your pathetic golf game is news.

Please save all of us from your whining, take a buyout from the Buffalo News and go cover pond hockey in Alaska.

[Matt]

Did we pick up another center to play the 100 games or so he is going to miss over the next couple of season?

[Martin]

Good move Sabres.

Really who is going to replace his 35 points a season if he left?