Habs’ David Desharnais: One of the NHL’s Worst Contracts?

By Joce, Senior Writer, All Habs Hockey Magazine

There is no denying that Habs’ fans are a passionate bunch and it is doubtful to find a fan base following every detail about its favourite team more than in Montreal. Is there an NHL team with more media coverage than the Canadiens? This makes for huge competition to get listenership, readership and viewership amongst them and in order to draw fans to their media outlet, reporters will sometimes go to great lengths to draw fans to them, forcing them to find creative ways or topics to do so. No team is micro-analysed like the Montreal Canadiens aside perhaps for the New York Yankees in baseball.

PENTICTON, BC. – This competitiveness creates God-like media personalities like the Big Three of Bob McKenzie, Darren Dregger and Pierre LeBrun, with dozens more wanting to follow in their footstep. Some think that they are and I’ll leave up to the readers to determine who they are but this phenomenon spreads amongst this passionate fan base like bad weeds. Because everyone has access to the same social media as those journalists, with their access to blogs and so many web sites popping up everywhere with their own bloggers acting like reporters, it’s easy to fall into the whirlpool of media sensationalism that traditional media gets into. Players performances and coaches decisions are over-analysed, GM’s moves and inactions are more scrutinized than ever and there is simply no room for common-sense as once those words, those thoughts are posted on the web, there is no turning back. It then becomes a matter of saving face from then on, fighting to justify what’s been written even if it means to go with the popular beliefs in order to gain support.

Well those who know me also know that I’m not afraid of stirring the pot, and I certainly don’t shy away from going against the grain, against the popular belief and opinion. I often purposely make it a point to show the other side of the medal, the one fans in general don’t like to see or talk about, simply because it goes against their own agenda. The Habs’ flavour of the month is David Desharnais. It’s considered cool to put him down, even hope for his failure. Heck, even the mayor of Montreal is doing it! Thankfully, some people can see through that I was reading Eric Engels’ tweet stating that “…it never ceases to amaze me how people will hope for someone’s failure just so they could be right about them. I find that pathetic.”

There’s a local guy who has never been fed with a silver spoon, one who has had to prove himself at every level that he’s played at, a diminutive center who has had success in every league and who, two short seasons ago, was centering the Canadiens’ most productive line. Finally, he gets some assurance and lands himself a four year deal worth $14 million. Unfortunately for him, he started struggling offensively at about the same time and it didn’t take long for the pundits to jump all over that contract to go as far as saying that now that he has his contract, he is sitting on it! That’s not knowing Desharnais, who is not only a fighter, but a very honest worker, one who is well liked and respected by everyone around the team. None of it was more obvious than the players’ reaction on the bench after he scored the shootout winner against the Columbus Blue Jackets. Rarely have we seen such reaction to a shootout goal… in November!

So please folks, while it is okay to analyse, to be fans, to have our favourites (and least favourites), let’s make the effort here to not cross that fine line of wishing for his failure just so you can be right about him. Listen to what his teammates say about him, see how they interact with him and mostly, don’t take the path of no return by being so involved in bashing the player, forcing you to hope for his failure in order to be proven right, either about things you’ve said about him, about his coach or about the team’s GM. Leave that to the few sharks in the media.

WORST CONTRACTS

Lots of emphasis is being put on Desharnais’ contract, some qualifying it as one of the worse in the NHL at the moment. I’ve read one person comparing it to David Clarkson and Ryane Clowe, which gave me the opportunity to do a little bit of research about bad contracts. Desharnais is under contract until 2015-16 with an average of $3.5 million per season. The amnesty buyout has taken care of a lot of bad contracts in the NHL but there are plenty of them left, as GMs are desperate to draw players to their team. I’ve compiled 15 contracts which are arguably the worse ones currently in the NHL:

15. Claude Giroux (PHI) – $8.275M until 2021-22
After a slow start to this season, Giroux has 11 points in 19 games and things are looking better than they were even a week or so ago. Still, this long term contract has (had) many worried and that’s a lot of term/money for a guy not averaging a point per game.

14. Dustin Brown (LAK) – $5.875M until 2021-22
While Brown is an excellent player, he only has seven points to show for in his first 20 games so far. What makes his contract a bad one is the duration, especially if he cannot return to form.

13. Kris Letang (PIT) – $7.25M until 2021-22
Let’s get something straight: Letang is a good player who can man the point and he’s a good skater. But his last couple of seasons have exposed some serious flaws in his defensive game, and that is a lot of money for a long time…

12. Luke Schenn (PHI) – $3.6M until 2015-16 with limited NTC
In what seems to be the city of bad contracts, Schenn finds it hard to live up to his contract, having been a healthy scratch this season. What makes it look even worse is that the Flyers gave up James van Riemsdyk for him.

11. Tyler Myers (BUF) – $5.5M until 2018-19 with NMC
Myers showed a lot of promises in his first couple of seasons but things have been much tougher for the tall defenseman since signing that lucrative contract. True that the Sabres aren’t a force to reckon with but Myers should be part of the solution. So far, he’s not.

10. Brooks Laich (WAS) – $4.5M until 2016-17 with limited NTC
In 20 games so far this season, the 30 year old has five points and is a team worst minus -9

9. Scott Hartnell (PHI) – $4.75M until 2018-19 with NMC
The rugged 31 year old winger was given a huge vote of confidence when signed long term but he is off to a very slow start this season, just as is his team. Many question if he can sustain playing that style over the long term and if he doesn’t, he loses his effectiveness.

8. Stephen Weiss (DET) – $4.9M until 2017-18 with NMC
Weiss has three points in 17 games so far this season, not what the Red Wings and their fans were hoping for when acquiring him. Including last season, Weiss has seven points in his last 34 games, with a pathetic minus -16.

7. Travis Zajac (NJD) – $5.75M until 2020-21 with NTC
His last 20 goals’ season dates back to 2009-2010 and his two goals in 17 games simply won’t cut it.

6. Jordan Staal (CAR) – $6M until 2022-23 with NTC
The Hurricanes paid a high premium to get Staal from the Pittsburgh Penguins and that 10 year contract could come back to haunt them. Oh he’s a good player, but tree goals in 19 games simply isn’t the production expected for a $6 million man.

5. David Clarkson (TOR) – $5.25M until 2019-20 with NMC
After serving a suspension for leaving the bench to join a fight, Clarkson has two assists so far this season. Many question if the 29 year old is truly the goals’ scorer he showed he was two years ago.

4. Ryane Clowe (NJD) – $4.85M until 2017-18 with NMC
Coming into this past summer’s free agency, we all know that Clowe and Clarkson would be heavily sought and would get their pay day and it’s no surprise that both find themselves on this list. One assist and minus -5 in six games isn’t what the doctor ordered.

3. Brad Richards (NYR) – $6.67M until 2019-20 with NMC
Much has been said and written about Richards’ contract and many felt like the Rangers would use the amnesty buyout this past summer to free themselves. I was one who felt that they should wait as they could buy him out next summer if need be and so far so good, as he has 15 points in 18 games under Alain Vigneault.

2. Tuomo Ruutu (CAR) – $4.75M until 2015-16 with NMC
The last time Ruutu reached the 20 goals’ plateau was back in 2008-09 and his two assists so far this season simply doesn’t cut it. Add a No-Movement clause to that and you have a terrible contract.

1. Ville Leino (BUF) – $4.5M until 2016-17
There’s bad, then there’s Leino bad. Since cashing in as a free agent, he’s been a disappointment for the Sabres but luckily for him, he’s playing in a market where… nobody notices much. Imagine him in a hockey hotbed!

Some can argue that David Desharnais’ contract could be squeezed into this list while the contract certainly isn’t looking good at this time, I personally feel like he finds himself just outside that Top 15 contracts of shame.

En français: David Desharnais et les pires contrats de la LNH