Friday, July 20, 2012

Weber wants to win - now.

Shea Weber is a very rich man. 
The Kelowna Rockets alumnus got a whole lot richer this week when he signed an offer sheet with the Philadelphia Flyers (14 years) at 110 million dollars.
This comes on the heels of an arbitrator awarding the Sicamous resident 7.5 million dollars last summer after the Nashville Predators forced their captain into a very uncomfortable situation.
The fact that Weber signed an offer sheet with the Flyers, that the Predators can match, isn't a surprise.
It was a slap on his face by the organization when they sent the NHL All-Star to arbitration and the team had egg on their face when Weber was given the largest arbitration award in league history.
Weber's signing with Philadelphia is a clear sign that he wants out of Nashville and is tired of the rebuilding process in 'The Music City'.
With Ryan Suter's departure to Minnesota, it is clear that Weber wants to win a Stanley Cup, and the best way of doing that is by leaving the Predators and playing with a Flyers team that is young but talented.
Will the Predators match the Flyers offer keeping Weber in Nashville long term?
As Weber's agent said earlier this week, you don't sign an offer sheet if you are not interested in playing for that organization.
Weber's heart is no longer in Nashville. He won't say it but agent Jarrett Bousquet has spelled it out.
As competitive as they come, the former Kelowna Rockets defenceman wants to win hockey's ultimate prize. By signing long term in Nashville, his chances of accomplishing that goal diminish greatly.    

8 comments:

Unknown said...

Weber's going to have to be extra good in Philly as they always seem to have sieves between the posts.

bigkev said...

hey regan i saw you on a tv show sunday night " Leverage"

MouthGuard said...

With all due respect - and I have the utmost of respect for you - I think that there are many factors worthy of significant consideration here that have been waved off/minimized/not addressed by Titan.

I completely understand and agree with the frustration directed toward the Preds organization for their vascillation over the past year, and for forcing an arbitration last summer. Many Preds fans share in this sentiment, you can be sure.

But the not-so-secret reality here is that contract term and total amount were the first-and-foremost priority regarding signing an offer sheet NOW prior to the expiration of the CBA. It wasn't even about winning or being with a "storied" franchise. It was all about dollars.

The Flyers have had a LOT of problems winning much of anything, as a matter of fact. And for all their high-profile history, the franchise has frequently been fraught with in-fighting, discord, controversy (Dry Island, Lindros, Carter/Richards trade) and embarrassing blame-gaming. There are reasons why the word "classy" doesn't pop up very much in reference to this team.

For what it's worth, Weber has been blessed with outstanding coaching playing throughout his career, playing for teams in cities that treat high profile citizens with dignity and respect. I'm sure can't argue with this. If you value your privacy and aren't a camera hog, Philly can be a very unforgiving place to go about your life if you're in the public eye. My father’s family is from Philly, so this assertion isn’t just coming out of nowhere. I'm sorry, but I have to wonder if lifestyle considerations even entered into these deliberations and if so, if they were taken seriously in the whirlwind to get a deal inked with splashy endorsements down the road in addition. Sometimes it seems like guaranteed money can buy you happiness - that it'll make everything okay. It's cliche, but it won't. It won't buy back your adolescence. It won’t guarantee you a chance to play with your old linemate again. It won't save your town from flooding. It won't bring back your loved ones or give you a chance to spend more time with people you cared about who are gone.

Now that the Preds have matched, it’ll be interesting to see what happens anew next summer. Things have certainly changed quite a lot for me, that’s for sure.

Thank you for listening, and keep doing what you’re doing. Kind regards, MG

MouthGuard said...

With all due respect - and I have the utmost of respect for you - I think that there are many factors worthy of significant consideration here that have been waved off/minimized/not addressed by Titan.

I completely understand and agree with the frustration directed toward the Preds organization for their vascillation over the past year, and for forcing an arbitration last summer. Many Preds fans share in this sentiment, you can be sure.

But the not-so-secret reality here is that contract term and total amount were the first-and-foremost priority regarding signing an offer sheet NOW prior to the expiration of the CBA. It wasn't even about winning or being with a "storied" franchise. It was all about dollars.

The Flyers have had a LOT of problems winning much of anything, as a matter of fact. And for all their high-profile history, the franchise has frequently been fraught with in-fighting, discord, controversy (Dry Island, Lindros, Carter/Richards trade) and embarrassing blame-gaming. There are reasons why the word "classy" doesn't pop up very much in reference to this team.

MouthGuard said...

For what it's worth, Weber has been blessed with outstanding coaching playing throughout his career, playing for teams in cities that treat high profile citizens with dignity and respect. I'm sure can't argue with this. If you value your privacy and aren't a camera hog, Philly can be a very unforgiving place to go about your life if you're in the public eye. My father’s family is from Philly, so this assertion isn’t just coming out of nowhere. I'm sorry, but I have to wonder if lifestyle considerations even entered into these deliberations and if so, if they were taken seriously in the whirlwind to get a deal inked with splashy endorsements down the road in addition. Sometimes it seems like guaranteed money can buy you happiness - that it'll make everything okay. It's cliche, but it won't. It won't buy back your adolescence. It won’t guarantee you a chance to play with your old linemate again. It won't save your town from flooding. It won't bring back your loved ones or give you a chance to spend more time with people you cared about who are gone.

Now that the Preds have matched, it’ll be interesting to see what happens anew next summer. Things have certainly changed quite a lot for me, that’s for sure.

Thank you for listening, and keep doing what you’re doing. Kind regards, MG

fan said...

shea weber just got engaged congrats shea

Marty Aalto said...

like Big Kev saw you on Leverage - cool....

Marty Aalto said...

RB - like Big Kev I saw you on Leverage... cool