By Dr. Shayne Baylis, Doc Hockey
Yes, it is true. not just a bad dream, or a ploy to scare the Ottawa organization, but reality. The beloved Daniel Alfredsson has moved on to wear the red and white in Detroit.
There have been many speculations about why he left – from wanting to go to a team to win a Cup, to playing with some of his Swedish countrymen, contract disputes, overall respect from the Ottawa Senators executive office, or the ugly personal issues behind the scenes. I encourage you to view all perspectives and make your decision from what is your truth.
Alfredsson states that there was a verbal agreement between him and the organization that his new contract would be a fair compensation for the last few years of his contract that he agreed to take below market value to help the team with the salary cap.
When this time came around for this compensation, a deal, as you know, was never accomplished. The rumors from the Senator organization was that an offer from Alfredsson of 2 years for $12 million or 1 year for $7 million. The counter-offer from the team was $4.5 million for 1 year due to internal budget restrictions.
After this, there was no counter-offer from the Alfredsson party. General Manager Bryan Murray claims that after the first offer, owner Eugene Melynk gave the green light to do whatever it takes to sign Alfredsson.
The confusing part was if Alfredsson was waiting to hear another offer or was he disrespected enough that he was solely focused on looking elsewhere to play? Did J.P Barry, Alfredsson’s agent, inform him about the Senators’ intentions?
Murray does explain that he made several attempts to get in touch with Alfredsson but they were all unsuccessful.
My feeling is that a high-profile agent like Barry seems to put his ego in front of the player’s best interest, and neglects the fact that this player might want to stay in a place he calls home. If this is the truth, I find that a poor decision on the agent’s part. The more money Alfredsson makes the more the agent makes – selfish? Regardless, we do not know how much of this was dictated to Alfredsson and how much was his direct orders.
On the other side, I can see Eugene Melnyk’s internal budget restrictions as a major bump in the road. Melnyk’s withdrawal from his previous biotech company and selling their stocks at the wrong time was most definitely was not his best financial decision. He has also sold his OHL Team, the St. Michael Majors, and ended the arena naming rights agreement with Scotiabank and approached new marketing partner Canadian Tire. What this seems to suggest is that Melynk is watching his money, and thus not as favorable to signing big contracts and rewarding a player’s loyalty and compromising.
There are always the thoughts that maybe Alfredsson had some personal issues with teammates or the organization like with the Dany Heatley situation. However, I think the majority would agree this was not the case. It seems that low-balling a contract to Alfredsson was not the right way to go.
An agreement to compensate for one’s sacrifice should be honored if this is the case and not negotiated to get lower terms. An aging Alfredsson may not be worth the top salaries of $7 million, but from the experience, loyalty to the team, leadership for younger players, he would be worth more than the market value would label.
The interest in Detroit seems to stem from the fact that they displayed interest in an aging leader; one that can help unite their team and add to their base of talent. They have familiar faces in countryman Henrik Zetterberg. He got a decent $5.5 million salary from a team that does not owe him anything. A team that has the chance of competing for a Cup, even though I do not believe they are any closer than the Senators organization. Detroit therefore was the best situation with no political ties for a player who is looking for a fresh start and to be treated in his mind fairly.
I think there is fault on both sides of the argument, but I think we should learn that we should not hide our intentions. Put on the table what you are willing to do but do not give the impression that this is my best offer if it truly is not. Money is not everything, but your word can be!
When December 1st and Alfredsson’s return is finally upon us, I hope we all remember the great contributions this player has made (and whose name and picture can be summoned on our cell phones by saying the words “who is God?”). For those who have the tendency to judge others, I hope you will look at the facts and character of the person you are judging and show the support this person has shown you and your community.
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