If Kane and Toews Cost Too Much...?

In any event, did Chicago overpay for Toews and/or Kane?

I don’t think so. I think those prices are pretty fair, actually.

Jordy: His $4 million is just about right. His defensive prowess is excellent. Plus, he’s really elevated his role this season. A lot of us fans (including me, sadly) have come to the conclusion that Staal isn’t a top line caliber player. Well, he quietly has 25 points since returning from injury and would be on pace for almost 60 points if he had played 82 games. On most teams, that’s a legit first liner. We’re just spoiled with this team’s depth.

Geno: Overpaid, right now. As we all know, Geno’s struggled the past two seasons. At this point, I’d say that at $8.7 million, he getting more than he’s earning and I don’t think there’s much argument against that. However, I know how talented Geno is—I refuse to underestimate him. I’m confident the Pens will be getting their moneys worth before 71’s contract expires.

K-Unitz: This is a difficult one, but I’m going to say I like his cap hit ($3.725 M). Maybe last season I would’ve said that he was overpaid, but, this season, he’s showing us what the Pens are paying for. Like JStaal, he has quietly had an awesome season. His offensive numbers, combined with all the intangibles he brings makes him worth the money, in my opinion.

The Real Deal: This may be an unpopular opinion, but I think Neal is underpaid ($2.875 M cap hit). Neal has a great shot, and fits the Pens system well. I know he hasn’t gotten off the to best start with the Pens, but I think he’ll do great with Crosby. I’m hoping that Mr. Sid turns him into a 30 goal scorer next year.

I don’t have a problem with Spezza or Semin’s contract. Especially Semin’s being consecutive 1yr deals. Toews is much more valuable than Kane, but I think those contracts are very fair. At this point Gaborik looks to have the worst contract of that group.

In any event, did Chicago overpay for Toews and/or Kane?

I don’t think so, Kane and Toews (each with hits of $6.3m) are the core, bedrock players.

Toews’ scoring has gone up every year, he’s t-8th in the league this year in points. Throw in his all-around ability, leadership and the fact he’s only entering his prime and there’s no doubt he’s worth every penny.

Kane may be a little more enigmatic, but he’s a marketing cornerstone of the team, a point per game player and at 22 is only going to continue to grow and dazzle the league for years.

The original writers’ main contention doesn’t add up:

Imagine if both Johnny and Kaner’s cap hit was 5.3. That’s another $1.6 million in cap space the Hawks would have had (actually its more like $2.0 million). That’s a huge difference, and at least would have kept Andrew Ladd in Chicago, the player they miss most from last year."

Sure it’d be great if every player took a little less, but that’s not the way it worked. Kane+Toews did take less money than they could have wrangled for.

If Chicago fans wish they could have kept guys like Ladd, they shouldn’t look at the Toews/Kane contracts, they should look at Brian Campbell; $7.14 million dollars per year, a terrible UFA signing. Or even Hossa (cap hit of $5.2 million).

The team chose to sign those pricey UFA’s and that essentially made it impossible to keep guys like Big Buff, Ladd and Versteeg. (The fact they bungled RFA deals and had to over pay Dave Bolland didn’t help).

the question comes down to whether or not the hamstringing of their salary cap was worth winning the Stanley Cup or not. Toews and Kane brought the highest prize in the sport to a hockey-obsessed town. As such, I don’t think either are overpaid.

When it’s time to resign Crosby and Malkin, I think Crosby would pretty much be able to name his number. Right now, Malkin would have look at a pay cut based on his production at the current pay level. That could very easily change over the next few years. I want to see Neal play with Crosby and/or Malkin before I make an assessment of how much he deserves to be paid. He seems like a hard worker, just needs someone to get him the puck in the right situations. Finally, Kunitz is definitely worth it in terms of what he brings offensively, defensively, and with intensity.

The NHLPA agreement is up at the end of this season. The cap space may be increased, and who knows what else will come into place. I’m sure the Pens will be fine with Sid and Geno. In Shero I trust. Finally there’s always the realization, or perception that somebody is being overpaid, it all depends how you look at it. For instance you could argue that Max Talbot has been overpaid the last couple of seasons if you were looking at it from outside the Pens, just based on numbers. The GM and the coach, have to judge the value to the team overall.