Hockeybob: do you watch hockey or just read articles about hockey?

sigh.  

With JVR's upside and potential (2nd overall pick) and his playoff run last year when he was one of the most dominant players on any team, more than justify a 4.25/year hit.  That is nothing. 

In 2013 and 2014, remember that 1.2mil +/- .3 mil over market value plus that Briere and Pronger contract when PHI heads into the playoffs.   Because of the contracts on the books, (Pronger expecially hard to move), that extra 1 mil or so is even more valuable and it sure does alot to upgrade a 3rd defensive pair or 3rd line forward.    Expensive downpayment to get a discount later in the contract imo. It's very likely to be the main reason no other team has given out a comparable contract to a player with similar accomplishment coming of his EL deal.

He's going to be a very good player, but no matter how good he is (I do think he'll develop very well), it doesn't change that Holmgren will be pinching his cap when he already has some risky contracts on the books (and a pretty weak system to pull depth from) as it is for the next 2 years after this one.     Like I said, it's a very expensive downpayment for the chance at a good (not great) return on contract value in 4 years hopefully 3.   As far as trading and signing in the next few years, all his blue-chip player movement will make it a little more expensive for him to sign FAs since most gms, and he, will want to stay away from NTCs. 

The contract alone and by itself isn't too bad imo, but taken in context with the current contracts on the books and his league market value now (not projections) for a RFA he paid too much too early and took more risk than I think was wise.    But if the win a cup in the next 3 years, I'll eat my words.

pretty hefty price tag for 'upside and potential'

Hockeybob: do you watch hockey or just read articles about hockey?

With JVR's upside and potential (2nd overall pick) and his playoff run last year when he was one of the most dominant players on any team, more than justify a 4.25/year hit.  That is nothing.  

I agree that Homer has overpaid for some players.  Jody Shelley's deal last year was too high, Jagr's deal this year was a bit much.  BUT, although he backs us against the cap each year, he also is able to maneuver around it enough to put a huge number of top flight talent players on the ice.  Homer has demonstrated that he has no concern about the total value of a deal, the Flyers have always been big spenders.  The only thing that matters is the per year hit.

There's nothing wrong with the keeping him around, the problem is with the value and length of the contract.    JVR will probably be a good player,  but that won't change the fact that he is payed significantly over market value for the next couple seasons after this one to say the least.   There is no precedent for such a long and rich contract to a comparable player with his level of accomplishment.    Committing 25.5 million to a guy with 150 games under his belt coming off of an EL contract is something new, and more than anybody else has considered paying, nothing he does changes that he will be overpayed significantly and will eat into the cap more than necessary for the following 2 or 3 seasons.   If he scores 50 goals, he'll be making more than he needed to, same to be said of 30, or 20 too, he didn't need to get that much and it will effect the flexibility of the roster until much later assuming he performs close to his projections. 

It's very possible that he's a bargain player come year 4-6, and he'll possibly be playing at a significant discount if that's the case.   He's gotten his contract's size and length based mostly on projections, not on accomplishments, and there are reasons that we haven't seen something very similar before with a player of similar accomplishment.   Couture is far more accomplished in almost every category and he was extended for 2 years at 2.875 mil.   That's a huge gamble, I consider it reckless, and the return on investment won't be for at least 3 years, probably closer to 4 or 5, and the limitations to the cap in 2 and 3 years may offset much of the value later in the deal.

I can only wonder how Giroux and Voracek feel about that deal, we'll probably never have a real answer to that. 

Nothing I'm arguing says he's a bad player or doesn't project well.    I'm saying that it seems more practical long term and much more effective short term to have given him a shorter and more comparably valued contract.  

I see nothing but upside for JVR especially if he camps out in front of the net on the PP.  Hey HockeyBob,  who signed Yasik and Dipietro to those long contracts.  Not Homer.  I'm ok with the deal.  He looked hungry when everyone else folded and wish him luck.  Hope he drills Carter into the boards so hard that Carter ends up in the next towns tittie bar.

Hey hockeybob, make sure you get on after this season when he scores 25+ goals, and is a plus15-20 player and say you were wrong. This kid was the best Flyer in the playoffs, and it will carry over to this season. He deserves the same money that Buffalo gave Leino, so blame the Sabres GM also!

There's about a dozen or more stories in hockey cities already about how Holmgren overpaid and completely jacked up the market.   Duchene is going to get 6 mil for 8 years, Edmonton is just screwed, Tavares is going to see Richards money for 9 years, Turris won't be in PHX long, Couture is going to do physical harm to his agent, Voracek already killed his....talk about changing the landscape.   Everybody expected the cap hike to have some goofy consequences, but I don't think they expected a grenade of pain coming from Holmgren like this.   LOL, I don't think too many gms anticipated a contract like that to an unproven player.

Should be a more interesting year following the upcoming RFAs because of the CBA, Doughty, Weber, and JVR contracts.

When you get better every game, you show that you can be a big part of the foundation.

JVR was the best Flyer in the playoffs this year.

Last year he scored a big goal (although a trash goal) in the legendary game 7 in Boston.

Maybe this year he can tuck 40.

The sky is the limit for this kid.