sabresindc wrote:
ksquier89 wrote:
That's one thing that gets to me about this contract. If he thinks he is worth that much now why sign for 6 years where you would theoretically be worth more
and be in the prime of your career during the last 2-3 years. He will be getting the same if not less after this contract is over. If I were him play the 2-3 at this per year value and hope I rake a 4-6 year deal worth more after the bridge contract. Who knows. Maybe he is cash strapped, maybe he genuinely wants to stay in buffalo, maybe he knows what his long term ceiling is. This contract just seems odd given his years played, especially with one being a lockout season
Yeah, we'll never know what motivated him to sign this contract. Like Vanek-fanatic said, I was hoping Darcy wouldn't buck the system and stick to his guns with a bridge. Of course he couldn't, thats just not Darcy. Now we're stuck with Hodgson for the next six years.
He has absolutely no reason now to fix his game until the last year of the contract. That's five years of him letting the opposing team score at will while he's on the ice.I don't think it's that drastic. My thing about defense is that it's very rare for a player to develop the defensive side of his game after a certain point. Most players are good two-way players from the get-go. Toews, Bergeron, Pominville, even Tim freaking Connolly come to mind. Tim Connolly was a phenomenal defensive center. Watching Zemgus Girgensons play in Rochester, he definitely has that part of his game taken care of. I've never seen that out of Hodgson. The only player I can think who fixed that part of his game later on in his career is Ilya Kovalchuk. The Devils turned him in to a phenomenal defensive player out of no where after years of tolling about in Atlanta. Maybe it was the situation and he didn't care as much, but I've never seen someone commit and be good at defense as quickly as Kovalchuk did.
Out of 34 goals he was on the ice for, 24 he was a major contributing factor. I would say that's pretty damn good odds for the opposing teams..... Anyway, if he does change his game and becomes a force to recon with then Darcy will look like a genius. Hopefully Teppo can kick him in the ass defensively.... I'm definitely not looking for an immediate turnaround, it will take a looooong time.