Pens, Crosby Expect Few Problems in Contract Negotiations

Thursday, September 08, 2005
By Dave Molinari, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

The NHL's new labor agreement caps Sidney Crosby's entry-level salary at $850,000.
But if his contract is structured just right -- and if Crosby puts together a season even more spectacular than almost anyone anticipates -- he could have a chance to earn nearly $4 million as a rookie.

That total wouldn't include so much as a penny from his endorsement deals, but might require Crosby to produce one of the most remarkable seasons in NHL history.

Penguins general manager Craig Patrick and one of Crosby's agents, Pat Brisson, have discussed the parameters of Crosby's first pro contract and will begin negotiations tomorrow. Both sides have expressed confidence a deal will be worked out well before the start of training camp Tuesday.

Team officials have long acknowledged that he will receive the maximum salary allowed by the new collective bargaining agreement, and it's virtually certain he will have a chance to earn the limit of $850,000 in "Column A" bonuses.

For forwards such as Crosby, those bonuses involve aggregate and per-game ice time (the player must appear in at least 42 games and place among the top six forwards on his team to qualify), scoring 20 goals, recording 35 assists or getting 60 points, averaging 0.73 points per game, finishing among the top three rookie forwards in plus-minus ratings, being named to the league's All-Rookie team, appearing in the NHL All-Star Game and being named MVP of the game.

The maximum that can be earned for any one of those is $212,500. How the $850,000 Column A ceiling is spread over the above categories is subject to negotiation.

Even if Crosby draws an $850,000 salary and gets the maximum in Column A bonuses, he might be able to more than double his earnings by winning league awards. The catch is that it might require sweeping all for which he is eligible.

Clubs can pay up to $2 million in bonuses to players who win league-wide awards and trophies.
In Crosby's case, those would be the Calder (top rookie), Hart (MVP), Art Ross (scoring champion), Lady Byng (sportsmanship), Rocket Richard (leading goal-scorer), Selke (best defensive forward) and Conn Smythe (playoff MVP).

No one has come close to running the table on those honors in a single year. Again, how the $2 million total is divided among the trophies will be part of Crosby's negotiations.

In addition to the bonus money paid by the team, Crosby could earn up to $150,000 from the NHL for leading the league in goals, assists and/or points, and as much as $100,000 more from the league for having the highest points-per-game average.

Bottom line: Depending on the details of the contract Brisson and Patrick work out, Crosby could earn a maximum of $3.95 million in his rookie season.

Defenseman Brooks Orpik, the only restricted free agent with whom the Penguins still are negotiating, realizes he won't get a deal anywhere near as lucrative as Crosby's. Or even the one Orpik had two seasons ago, for that matter.

Because Orpik is restricted, the Penguins could match any offer he receives from another team. That gives Patrick a decided edge in the negotiations, because restricted free agents who aren't inclined to play in Europe have no real options outside the NHL.

"That's what happens when you're a restricted free agent," Orpik said. "You don't have much leverage."

Orpik's agent, Lewis Gross, did not speak with Patrick yesterday, but disputed a suggestion that the situation is stacked in the team's favor and that Orpik must resign himself to accepting what the club offers.

"Everyone wants to get it done, but I don't think that's accurate," Gross said.

Patrick "slots" his defensemen and bases their salaries on those rankings. No one is saying precisely where Orpik fits into that structure, but it appears he's at least a notch below Josef Melichar, who accepted a two-year deal worth $700,000 annually.

"I'm asking for a lot less than I made last year," said Orpik, who was paid $1,075,000 in 2003-04. "I don't think I'm trying to break the bank, by any means."

He said the Penguins broached the idea of a long-term deal during the summer of 2004, but whether a multiyear contract remains under discussion isn't clear. What is apparent, though, is that Orpik hopes something is in place before training camp starts.

"I just want to get it over with," he said. "I didn't think it would carry on this long, but it has, so it is what it is.

"It sounds stupid to say it's out of my control, because it is somewhat in my control, but I don't want it to hang over me going into camp. It's not something I want associated with me."

(Dave Molinari can be reached at 412-263-1144.)