Alexander Nikishin's reported ask of five years at $9 million is back in focus after Zeev Buium went the full eight with the Canucks.
Elliotte Friedman laid out both sides on 32 Thoughts on Monday. Buium signed the full eight years, while the rumour on Nikishin was "around 5 times 9."
Friedman added the key caveat: "we'll see if that's changed or that's the same." Nothing about Nikishin's number is locked in yet.
The two approaches couldn't be further apart. One player took maximum term and security, and the other reportedly wants a shorter runway at a big number.
Why would a defenceman pick five over eight? A shorter deal gets him back to the table sooner, and if his game keeps growing, so does the next contract.
For the team, it's the opposite math. Eight years buys cost certainty, while a five-year deal means paying big now and potentially bigger later.
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Zeev Buium's eight-year deal sets the bar in this market
The long-term commitment is already paying off on the ice. Buium finished +2 in Tuesday's 6-5 overtime win in Edmonton for Manny Malhotra's Canucks.
Vancouver's front office talked development over wins all week. Locking up a defenceman for the full eight fits that plan perfectly.
Nikishin's camp appears to be playing a different game. The rumoured term points to a player betting on himself.
If I'm the team, I push hard for eight. Paying a premium for five years only to face another bidding war later is a bad trade-off.
It's like signing a shorter lease because you expect the neighbourhood to get pricier. Smart for the tenant, expensive for the landlord.
The Buium deal now hands every agent in the league a fresh comparable. Nikishin's side will be watching closely how far teams go on term.
Eight years or five, somebody is betting wrong. The only question is which side regrets it when the next contract comes due.
Should Alexander Nikishin get the five years at $9 million he's reportedly asking for?
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