With the news now that Kris Versteeg has been signed by the Chicago Blackhawks to a contract worth more than $9 million over 3 seasons and a full year prior to his original entry level contract coming to an end, one has to wonder what’s been going on in NHL offices around the league.
This is the third similar instance in almost as many days. Just recently, the Blackhawks were forced to re-sign Cam Barker (D), who was likely not in the immediate plans contract wise. Not to be outdone, the Philadelphia Flyers inked Chris Pronger to a seven year extension, not realizing that every single one of those years count as a cap hit to the Flyers teams should Pronger leave prior to the conclusion of the seventh year. Of course Edmonton Oiler fans are not unfamiliar to such controversy, with the current status of Dany Heatley, who is… well is Dany Heatley.
All in all, one has to wonder how team presidents, GM’s and those in charge of professional multi-billion dollar NHL franchises are interviewing candidates for positions of such importance. It’s not like the secretary got caught photocopying his butt and sending out the copies in a memo around the office for a good laugh. These are mistakes that are literally handcuffing each respective team during the summer and possibly for years to come.
There’s more at Oilers Insider Hockey News and Rumours: Clerical Errors a Bit Bigger Than Getting Caught Photocopying Your Butt.