Big Money for Horcoff
The Edmonton Oilers have signed center Shawn Horcoff to a 6yr 33 million dollar contract today. Horcoff is entering the final year of a 3yr contract this season and was to be an unrestricted free agent next July 1st. The extension will lock up the Oilers number one center until 2015 avoiding 6 seasons of the uncertainty of free agency.
”Shawn has proven himself as one of the premier players in the National Hockey League and has been and will continue to be an integral part of our organization moving forward,” said GM Kevin Lowe ”By being proactive with this deal, we avoid being in a situation where Shawn could become an unrestricted free agent after next season and the unknown free agency can bring to the organization. Having him under contract long-term is something that has been on our radar for a long time and we are extremely pleased to finalize this deal.”
With the contract Horcoff becomes the hightest paid forward for the Oilers and I decided to compare his deal with other players with similar productivity. The following show totals over the past 3 season for Shawn Horcoff, Ryan Smyth and Scott Gomez, all of whom are defensively responsible forwards with a lot of heart that give 100% every game.
| Name | Age | Games | Goals | Assists | Points | PPG | Cap Hit | Points per $1M |
| Scott Gomez | 28 | 235 | 62 | 152 | 214 | 0.91 | 7.35 | 9.7 |
| Ryan Smyth | 32 | 201 | 86 | 85 | 171 | 0.85 |
6.25 |
9.1 |
| Shawn Horcoff | 29 | 212 | 59 | 115 | 174 | 0.82 | 5.5 | 10.5 |
The bottom line is that this is a great signing for both the Edmonton Oilers and Shawn Horcoff, who has the security of a long term contract in a City he loves to play in.
The Voice
Wow, Edmonton is willing to spend the money to put a competitive team on the ice. The Shawn Horcoff signing is testament that they want to move up to the next level. Montreal can almost see them in their rear view mirror.
Edmonton certainly is making a commitment to building a winning team, due in no small part I’m sure to the new billionaire owner.