He starts 15/16 at age 32, is only 6 ft 200 lbs, and plays a warrior style game. It is any wonder that he misses 1/4 of the season to injury consistently every year? I expect his injury time to grow and his recovery time to slow. Unlike Sedins who play a game that should not deteriorate quickly, Gio's game is one that is dependant on extreme physical condition. I expect his downhill slope will be quite steep.Mondi wrote:It seems that hockey people are loyal to a fault.
Giordano didn't really come into his own until his late-20, and is now peaking at 30/31. He's a good player and a very good piece for the Flames. But, nearly $7 million for a 35-37 year old defenceman is risky. I look at a guy like Chara, who is a much more valuable piece and has declined significantly in his mid/late 30s. Another example is Markus Naslund, a short sharp spike in the late 20s, and a similar decline in the mid-30s.
Of course a 2-3 year contract at 8-9 million would also be a bad idea.
Good for Calgary for locking up the "core", but as with most NHL teams it seems they (are forced to) overvalue their assets.
This is a VERY risky contract. Far too much and far to long for a player whose career year is likley behind him and whose dropoff is likely to be above average. I consider this contract to be a boat anchor. I wonder if he got a NMC too? I can see Flames fans looking at this as a TDL dump next year (if not this year).
Overall, this contract is great news for Vancouver fans.
