Wanging it up on Long Island!
Tuesday, September 12, 2006
Okay, wow. Is this really happening?New York Islanders sign Rick DiPietro to a 15-year contract
So let me get this straight. The total amount of this contract is $67.5 million, with the yearly salary being $4.5 million. And if he has to retire due to a career ending injury, he's still guaranteed the money?
Looking beyond the shocking -- and I mean shocking -- length of the contract, the yearly salary is still modest ... but that all hinges on if DiPietro actually becomes a better goalie. So far, his best season consisted of 50 games in 2003-2004, and racking up a .911 save percentage. His overall save percentage is an even .900 over his four seasons playing any games at all with the Islanders.
Adding to that, the guy is virtually untested in the playoffs. With the exception of one game in 2002-2003 where he was injured (stopping all of 3 shots he faced before going down), and then five games in 2003-2004 (he racked up a .908 save percentage and 2.17 GAA), he has had no chance to show if he can pass muster when put in the playoff pressure cooker.
So why do this? What is it that the Islanders' "GM by committee" knows that the rest of us don't? Look at amazing goalies such as Nikolai Khabibulin, who everyone thought would continue to be a "Bulin Wall" all his career, only to become roadkill between winning the Stanley Cup and then signing with the Blackhawks.
Of course that is a bit of an extreme example. Nonetheless, 15 years? While at the moment we can say the yearly salary is definitely a good deal, it's much too risky to go making such a long contract, not knowing what to expect from DiPietro in even the near future.
It seems at the moment that just going by the comments left on TSN's article concerning the deal, people are actually pretty split on ths matter. Honestly, this makes me head spin.
This is geometrically more insane than the Yashin and A-Rod deals put together.
Please tell me Dougie would never do something like this. Good grief. I feel bad for whatever fans the Islanders have left.