Hossa, savard, dipietro, for starters
Frankly, I really don't think Savard's contract is anywhere near this conversation. I think his deal totally respects and works within the cap structure. He's 39 in the last year of the deal, and the total $ figure is just north of 28M.
The Hossa, or Kovalchuk deal - in term, dollars, or even player age (considering that there aren't too many guys who play into their 40s) are quite different... or even Pronger's deal, which also takes him to age 42.
Until last season, Savvy had been pretty healthy for us; I know people don't think he'll play out the contract, he likely won't - especially after last year - but lots of players have played until they're 39.
But the deals that lock players in well into their 40s... I don't agree with that. 3 extra years is a big deal at that age, and 4-5 extra years is ridiculous.
I have no problem with teams signing guys like DiPietro to a 15 year deal that expires when he's 40. I think 40 is a reasonable cut off age for long term deals... but I do think that Garth Snow and the NYI are morons for committing to a player for that long. So much can go wrong... and has, really.
Probably Mule as well.
The Hossa deal is the second worst of the lot, but probably the stupidest.
I like Franzen a lot, but I wouldn't want that contract.
There's no way in hell I would want Kovalchuk for the price the Devils paid.
Totally agree about the Hossa deal. Huge mistake, IMO. There was already so much young talent on that team... blew their flexibility moving forward.
Hossa primarily.
Then there are others like Savard, Zetterburg, and Holmstrom that are kind of in a gray area, but don't have them playing into their 50s.
I absolutely love that Zetterburg deal, and I think that's a prime example of what is right about these long term deals. 12 years is a long time, but Zetterburg is definitely worth the commitment. With budget restrictions already in place, teams should have a way to lock their stars up long term, so they can keep their core together. This deal makes total sense for the Wings, and frankly, it wouldn't surprise me one bit if Hank played out his entire deal.
What would you guys think if the NHL capped deals at 10 years, and said that any deal over 5 years long had to expire by the time a player turned 40? Those would be some pretty straightforward rules. Some might consider that Agism... maybe? I don't know.