Monday, March 06, 2006
Mattias Norstrom: A King's Ransom
A co-worker pointed out to me that Mattias Norstrom had his contract extended by two more seasons with the LA Kings. (NHL LINK)
Kaberle at $4.25mil seems expensive, but justifiable. Norstrom? The Kings are paying for past performance, if that. Sure, Norstrom might have made that on the open market, but that's a good reason to let him go.
Just another fine example of how the salary cap hasn't prevented GM's from making poor decisions.
LOS ANGELES (CP) - Chalk off yet another big name from this summer's free-agent market.I like Norstrom and I'd like him on my own team, but this kind of deal is just foolish. Norstrom is 34 and not getting any faster (not that he ever was a demon) and he doesn't produce much offense at all. He's a good defensive defenseman, but he's not worth $4.25mil in today's salary capped environment.
Veteran star defenceman Mattias Norstrom has agreed to an $8.5-million US, two-year contract extension. "We're happy to have Matty continue his career with the Kings," president and general manager Dave Taylor said in a statement. "We appreciate his leadership, dedication and commitment to our organization."
*snip*
Norstrom, who will earn $4.25 million a season just like (Tomas) Kaberle, has spent the last 10 seasons with the Kings after beginning his career with the New York Rangers. He has three goals, 19 assists and a plus-4 rating in 58 games this season.
Kaberle at $4.25mil seems expensive, but justifiable. Norstrom? The Kings are paying for past performance, if that. Sure, Norstrom might have made that on the open market, but that's a good reason to let him go.
Just another fine example of how the salary cap hasn't prevented GM's from making poor decisions.
