Don’t hate the player…

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When the Flyers traded Joffrey Lupul, Luca Sbisa and two first-round draft picks to Anaheim for Chris Pronger and Ryan Dingle, many fans, myself included, were worried that this move would keep them from resigning soon to be unrestricted free agent, Mike Knuble. July 1st passed and I combed a number of web sites, searching for any word of a new contract. On July 2nd, I get a phone call from a friend who tells me, “Knuble signed.” I hop on my computer as I ask, “With the Flyers?” The page came up about the same time as he answered me.

Mike Knuble signs a two year deal with the Washington Capitals for $2.8 million per year. For a while I thought the Pronger deal was the cause of Knuble not being resigned, that is, until I sat down and crunched the cap numbers.

Combined, Lupul and Sbisa would have made in the area of $5 million this coming season. While that alone doesn’t account for Pronger’s $6.5 million contract, remember this. The signings of Ray Emery and Brian Boucher over Martin Biron and Antero Niittymaki saved the Flyers a little over $2 million. So that couldn’t be the problem.

No talk had been made about him switching lines or taking a pay cut. There were no internal problems with the team. He had even been quoted earlier in the season saying he wanted to retire as a member of the Flyers.

So what’s the problem? What made Mike Knuble lose his loyalty to the Flyers? Flyers General Manager Paul Holmgren gave us the answer the next day. Mike wanted a multi-year contract and all the Flyers were ready to give him was a one year deal. Again, Paul Holmgren has left me shaking my head. Not as bad as he did with the Upshall/Carcillo trade, but bad none the less. Knuble’s been netting 20 to 30 goals a season for the past 6 seasons. You’re telling me you can’t throw the guy a bone and give him a two year contract? You gave Lupul a four year extension for more than twice what Knuble was getting, and he was putting up the same numbers for crying out loud. Lupul’s younger you say? Knuble’s consistent with a solid work ethic.

There you have it. It wasn’t Pronger’s contract that kept Holmgren from hanging on to Knuble. It was Holmgren that kept Holmgren from hanging on to Knuble.

And I find myself shaking my head yet again. Just add it to the list.