This is just an early report at this time, but if this rumor is to be believed it sounds like one team in the National Hockey League is about to make a massive blunder.
According to a report from Columbus Blue Jackets insider Aaron Portzline it now sounds like the Columbus Blue Jackets have been priced out of the potential bidding on soon to be unrestricted free agent forward Anders Lee. Lee of course is currently still the captain of the New York Islanders organization but it sounds like that may not be a position he will hold onto for much longer. That's because according to Portzline it now sounds like Lee's next contract could top the $9 million mark in terms of average annual value, and I would be shocked if Islanders general manager Lou Lamoriello and his organization would be willing to commit anywhere near that much to Lee.
In fact I would argue that no team should be prepared to give that kind of money to Lee. There is no question that Lee is a solid player but I would argue that he is not the superstar level of player that a salary of that nature wopuld command. Lee is coming off a season in which he recorded 28 goals and 23 assists for a total of 51 points in 82 games, that would work out to over $175,000 per point had he been earning that kind of money last year. Sure you could point to the fact that Lee recorded 40 goals just one season ago and 34 the year before that, but the fact that his production has dropped off significantly should be a big red flag for teams looking to give the 28 year old a long term deal with that type of money.
I have no doubt that the team that adds Lee to their roster as a free agent will be a better team than they were prior to the signing, but if the money comes in at anything close to what Portzline is reporting I believe they will also come to regret it. No word from Portzline on what kind of term such a deal would include, which I suppose could be somewhat of a mitigating factor.
