BlueWhiteBlood said:
If Weber wanted a trade, this seems like a dumb way to go about it. If Nash matches, he's there for life, unless he demands a trade, which seems like another hassle. Maybe he just wanted a contract done and over with?
Weber wants his cash, almost certainly wants out of Nashville, and in the end (not necessarily right now), he's going to get his cake and eat it, too.
It is inconceivable that Weber is ambivalent as to where he plays the rest of his career.
No elite player commits the rest of their playing career to either of two teams, even for an outrageous amount of money. You can buy the player, but you can't buy their heart, at least not for anywhere near that long.
Here's almost certainly what's going to happen: Nashville will match the offer, despite how much it is structured to deter them from doing so. Weber will say whatever he needs to say about being happy to go back to Nashville. He may or may not put in much effort this year, and he will ask to be traded between 1 and 2 years from now (as he can't be traded in the next year). It's possible he's already told Nashville as much. He will have a no-trade clause that allows him to control where he's traded to. He will heavily or entirely steer trade talks toward Philadelphia. Poile will have his hands tied, between detesting the idea of having to trade to Philly, yet having to deal with a no-trade clause that more or less puts the player in the driver's seat.
I guarantee this: Weber will be a hated man in Nashville within 2 years. For signing a deal structured to punish Nashville for trying to keep him. For asking for a trade, despite a 14 year contract. For controlling trade talks. In the end, this'll make Heatley's exit from Ottawa look amicable, I guarantee it.
The
only way this works out for Nashville is if they impress Weber enough on the ice in the next year to make him want to stay.
I find it laughable that the owners will cry poor when they do this crap.
