datsuck
found a good comment on a message board about Datsyuk(its kinda long):
Where did $6 million come from all of a sudden? All we read about before was that he was looking for $4 million and most people on this post were saying that was too much. Now people are jumping all over Holland for not signing the guy sooner. How could he if he was asking for this much money? Does any one think he is worth $6 million? From what I have seen so far, I am not sure he will ever be worth $6 million. The people he is comparing himself to are or were the heart and soul of their teams and at some point carried those teams on their backs for long stretches. Datsyuk had the chance to establish himself as a leader on the Wings in the playoffs against Calgary when Yzerman went down and when Lang couldn't move his hand and I understand Hull had a broken toe, but what did he do? Absolutely nothing. This so called superstar couldn't even take advantage of a depleted Calgary defense and beat a guy even the Flames considered as their 8th d-man when he was forced to play because of injury. (They traded him away for a draft pick a few weeks back) Dats did nothing to show he was worth more than he got paid last year. Granted none of the other Wings did either but among the forwards as I have said, some were playing injured and Datsyuk is the only guy thinking he is worth $6 million. As the Wings failed to score one goal in the last two games surely there were times when Datsyuk was up against the 8th guy on the Flames depth chart and yet he produced nothing. In previous years I remember Yzerman picking up the puck behind the Wings net and going end to end against a much tougher Colorado team and scoring a goal to get the Wings rolling but Datsyuk was invisible in the playoffs. Not only against Calgary but against Nashville as well. If he is so great why did he produce nothing in 12 playoff games. He took shots from ridiculous angles that I could have stoped, not because he was a confident goal scorer but because I think he was too scared to try and crash the Flames defense, so as a result he never even challanged some of the fringe players the Flames were using. Comparing Dats to Fedorov I think Feds actually played better when players like Yzerman were out of the lineup. I think Feds wanted to be the go to guy and just could never get out of the shadow of some of the other great players on the team, but when they weren't there he did pick up his game. Datsyuk didn't. Maybe because he doesn't have the wheels to go end to end I don't know but he had a chance to prove his worth and didn't take it. One of the problems is that if you look back I remember an article from the last season when Brett Hull told Dats he could be the best player in the league. Now he thinks he is even though he hasn't done anything. Yes he had a decent season in terms of points but I seem to recall he tailed off toward the end of the season when teams started to pay a little more attention to him which is what I think prompted Hulls comments. Players like Yzerman, Sakic and Forsberg still produced once other teams started paying more attention to them. In last season's playoffs players like Iginla and St. Louis continued to produce, but not Datsyuk. Can anyone honestly say that Iginla is only worth $1 million a season more than Datsyuk? Martin St. Louis is the heart trophy winner, was instrumental in the Lightening's cup run and he is only getting $6.5 million. At the end of the day this could be all about negotiating. Holland called Datsyuk's agents bluff and so to avoid looking like a complete idiot Dats signed in Moscow knowing he could still negotiate until December 1. Its like insurance, it gives him a place to play and earn some money while negotiating. Problem is he still looks like an idiot if he thinks he is worth $6 million a season. It is obvious that Dats and his agent know they aren't worth this kind of money or else why wouldn't they have taken the Wings to arbitration? In a lot of ways this is the CBA all over again. The players refusing to accept the economic realities, holding out for more and in the end losing a whole season and having to settle for less.
Where did $6 million come from all of a sudden? All we read about before was that he was looking for $4 million and most people on this post were saying that was too much. Now people are jumping all over Holland for not signing the guy sooner. How could he if he was asking for this much money? Does any one think he is worth $6 million? From what I have seen so far, I am not sure he will ever be worth $6 million. The people he is comparing himself to are or were the heart and soul of their teams and at some point carried those teams on their backs for long stretches. Datsyuk had the chance to establish himself as a leader on the Wings in the playoffs against Calgary when Yzerman went down and when Lang couldn't move his hand and I understand Hull had a broken toe, but what did he do? Absolutely nothing. This so called superstar couldn't even take advantage of a depleted Calgary defense and beat a guy even the Flames considered as their 8th d-man when he was forced to play because of injury. (They traded him away for a draft pick a few weeks back) Dats did nothing to show he was worth more than he got paid last year. Granted none of the other Wings did either but among the forwards as I have said, some were playing injured and Datsyuk is the only guy thinking he is worth $6 million. As the Wings failed to score one goal in the last two games surely there were times when Datsyuk was up against the 8th guy on the Flames depth chart and yet he produced nothing. In previous years I remember Yzerman picking up the puck behind the Wings net and going end to end against a much tougher Colorado team and scoring a goal to get the Wings rolling but Datsyuk was invisible in the playoffs. Not only against Calgary but against Nashville as well. If he is so great why did he produce nothing in 12 playoff games. He took shots from ridiculous angles that I could have stoped, not because he was a confident goal scorer but because I think he was too scared to try and crash the Flames defense, so as a result he never even challanged some of the fringe players the Flames were using. Comparing Dats to Fedorov I think Feds actually played better when players like Yzerman were out of the lineup. I think Feds wanted to be the go to guy and just could never get out of the shadow of some of the other great players on the team, but when they weren't there he did pick up his game. Datsyuk didn't. Maybe because he doesn't have the wheels to go end to end I don't know but he had a chance to prove his worth and didn't take it. One of the problems is that if you look back I remember an article from the last season when Brett Hull told Dats he could be the best player in the league. Now he thinks he is even though he hasn't done anything. Yes he had a decent season in terms of points but I seem to recall he tailed off toward the end of the season when teams started to pay a little more attention to him which is what I think prompted Hulls comments. Players like Yzerman, Sakic and Forsberg still produced once other teams started paying more attention to them. In last season's playoffs players like Iginla and St. Louis continued to produce, but not Datsyuk. Can anyone honestly say that Iginla is only worth $1 million a season more than Datsyuk? Martin St. Louis is the heart trophy winner, was instrumental in the Lightening's cup run and he is only getting $6.5 million. At the end of the day this could be all about negotiating. Holland called Datsyuk's agents bluff and so to avoid looking like a complete idiot Dats signed in Moscow knowing he could still negotiate until December 1. Its like insurance, it gives him a place to play and earn some money while negotiating. Problem is he still looks like an idiot if he thinks he is worth $6 million a season. It is obvious that Dats and his agent know they aren't worth this kind of money or else why wouldn't they have taken the Wings to arbitration? In a lot of ways this is the CBA all over again. The players refusing to accept the economic realities, holding out for more and in the end losing a whole season and having to settle for less.