New Jersey Devils: 3 Pros and 2 Cons For Signing Dougie Hamilton
By Nick Villano
Con #1: Long-term contracts almost never work
Name a long-term contract that came before unrestricted free agency that worked. We can probably count on one hand how many contracts that exceeded five years that were worth the price of admission. Some blow up stupendously right off the bat like Jeff Skinner or David Clarkson. Others take a few years to be absolutely terrible like Brent Seabrook or James Neal. Being saddled with those contracts is literally an anchor on your roster. If he’s not injured, a team has to decide between buying the contract out or just sitting the player either in the owner’s box or in the minors, which is never good for team morale.
The Devils just got out of this situation and will be paying for it for years. Cory Schneider just never lived up to his contract, and the Devils bought out the last two years of his deal. It really hurt since Schneider was always a professional and injuries did more damage than anyone thought, but the reality is the Devils couldn’t keep that contract on the books while he provided nothing to the team.
That situation is a possibility for these long-term contracts. This is especially scary for a defenseman. Just look at Subban. He got a top-of-the-market deal back in 2014. He was really, really good for four seasons. He’s been bad for two seasons, and he was above average last season. Let’s say Subban has another season like the one he just had, then his contract comes down to four superstar seasons, two above-average seasons, and two terrible seasons.
If that’s what the Devils got from Hamilton, would it be worth it? Obviously, it would all depend on when those seasons came. If he’s a star for the next two seasons, where does that really get the Devils? They aren’t going to be a true contender next season, but will they be a true contender in three years, when according to this hypothetical he’s still a superstar?
It’s definitely a risk. It’s definitely a huge risk, actually. However, there needs to be a risk if a team is going to make a turnaround like the Devils want to do.