Man, that’s a great deal. 3 years at a very fair price AND he’s still RFA afterwards. This is pretty close to a long-term commitment from O’Sullivan.

All is forgiven! We love you again! No hard feelings?

well, technically he won’t actually get $2.925 per year if it is front loaded ($4M first year is what I’ve read), that’s what his cap hit will average out to be.

why was this so hard to reach???

great deal for both sides!!!

see it hear first!!!

thx Rich

Lombardi just hit a home run.

Whoally crap…that’s it? Sully caved, BIG TIME. Or his agent did.

This, in my view is a huge signing for the Kings future.

Go POS!!!

Go Deano!!!

Go Kings!!!

Ya Baby….I feel good.

Back to chemistry:-(

if sully was bitter ..there is NO WAY he would sign a 3 year deal. Once again, I think that most of us read more into this impasse than was probably called for. As DellaNooch or Quisp or someone said earlier – this is the name of the game in sports these days. Lets just hope that we don’t get to the point where hockey players end up like football or baseball players where they sign a contract and then hold out to re-negotiate. Of course with Bettman at the helm of the league, nothing surprises me- he’s done more harm than good in my opinion.

regardless – its good to have Sully signed and let the games begin!

Anthony:

OK now it’s official. You obviously just spew out words of hatred for whatever happens in the Kings world just to get a rise out of people. It’s getting really old man….

No, I’m happy he’s signed.
I just think he’s worth more $$$.

Nice signing by DL…and a bargain to boot…

Welcome back POS…

Man, I would love to be 23 years old and be making $9 mil for the next 3 years (knowing that 2 seasons ago I was in the AHL for a spell). It is great POS is signed though. And the start of the ’08-’09 season brought an urgency for both sides. That’s what deadlines often will do. And it’s not like the money isn’t fair. Stoll got just a bit above this and he has more years in the NHL. All in all, both Brown and Frolov look like steals with their contracts,

Now the next question is what kind of shape POS is in? AND…he’s missed game time and a training camp with a new coach. That said, bet Kopi and Brownie are smiling today.

It took DL, AEG & POS nearly 90 days to reach this agreement? To quote Frank Barone of Everybody Loves Raymond…..”HOLY CRAP!!”

At this rate, it will probably take DL 180 days to sign Jack Johnson & 270 days to sign Anze Kopitar, with his paralysis of the analysis ways.

Please put DL in charge of scouting and bring in someone who can actually manage the team.

that should be enough to pay the billets to shut up

Congrats Dustin and Anze… you have a pulse.

(and note, P O’S WILL lead the Kings in GOALS this season.)

so i can come off the ledge now?

he will be traded before the year is up!

Anthony, I think this a fair deal all the way around. If POS continues to get better, and there’s no reason to think he’s not, he will get paid handsomely in three years. 9 million now, 30 million next time around when he proves his worth on a consistent basis. He’s doing just fine.

I think this signing proves Dean was low balling Patrick at first

Cool.

Now what will the lines look like?

Does Simmonds or Moulson go to Manchester? Does Moller go back to Junior? Do they all stay up and play and Boyle goes back to the AHL?

Cristobal, maybe my post didn’t read how I meant it. I wasn’t trying to be disparaging to Sully, just saying that he’s had one and half seasons in the NHL. $9 million for 3 years is GREAT – and he’s worth that – but not $4-5 million a season, not yet. I’ve watched NHL hockey since 1968 and realize that hockey players have a specific talent and are paid well for it. Just like certain tall athletes that can run up and down a court and shoot a basketball through a rim.

A positive post from cristobal! This truly is a tremendous day for the Kings

Big star in Lombardi’s cap.

Good day for DL.

anthony said:
Where is Sully getting paid $4 Mil?
Hockey buzz has it $3.175 first season and $2.8 next two seasons.
Where does this $4 Mil come into play?

And you call yorself a lawyer?

Hey Anthony, how is POS being under paid? He had half a good season last year. So if you were the GM, would you really give him 4+ million a year? If so, he’d probably tank like how Lubo did last year after getting his $$. Make POS earn his money and PROVE that he’s legit before shelling out the $$$…it’s a cap system now, so you’ve got to know who you’re going to pay and how much. Next year’s cap would probably be lower since the economy isn’t great and that would probably mean less people going to games. So that’s less revenue.

cristo – I know bud, if anything that was point, finally news so good that you are totally jazzed as the rest of us who have been optimistic with no real good reason the last 3 months.
And you’re right, NOBODY loses in this deal really. Sure SUlly may have wanted a little more money, but he’s getting about what Frolov’s second contract paid, he still has an arbitration year left, and bonus for Dean he set the precedent he wanted to set and no one had to miss a game during the season.

Baumgartner22, here’s a hand to help you off that ledge! It certainly is good news, isn’t it? I wonder why, Anthony, if you’re so bitter about O’Sullivan not getting the $3 mill plus that you say he deserves, you don’t cough up the dough for him yourself? Someone on here said you were an attorney, so you should have it unless you’ve been disbarred…

Kozak said:
I think Anthony is a liability and should be traded

Yep for Willsie LOL

If Deano hadnt signed Patrick it would have been a huge black mark against him. Having traded our Number 1 ppg player in Pavel Demitra for POS and Minn#17th pick trevor lewis and then to lose him or have to trade him because of a contract impasse. After losing Cammi(arbitration, again contracts) this would not have looked good for our future contract RFA’s coming up in a few years. Im still getting over the whole Dan Cloutier thing, and letting MGaron walk for keeping JLabarbera was a mistake.

$3 million, very fair contract. Congratulations to both sides, for getting this done!!!!

David said: It took DL, AEG & POS nearly 90 days to reach this agreement?

Youre absolutely right David. Totally unnecessary and ridiculous. There is no message being sent to other players or agents or GMs other than DLs boss is unwilling to spend what it takes to create a perennial winner here in Los Angeles. This deal should have come long ago.

nykingfan said: The object is to keep the salaries down in future years when you’ll need the $$ for Kopitar and JJ.

Ill believe the big bucks are shelled out when I see it. Until then, I want you to remember your statement when the just sign already! chants are singing surrender next summer and calling Kopi a greedy bastard. Remember, all this money is being saved for Kopi and JMFM. Right? Right. Yeah right!

simonsez said: This contract gives him more leverage in upcoming negotiations.

Really? Who with, Kopitar? Because Kopitar and Patio are so similar? This negotiation did nothing but reinforce the idea that Lombardi is not a good negotiator. DLs admittedly impatient negotiating style led to Patio sitting out all of camp for a 3 for 9 contract! Totally ridiculous. I can only hope Lombardi doesnt let this happen next summer.

Proof said: I think this signing proves Dean was low balling Patrick at first.

Absolutely. No question. And that’s probably when Patio said, “Ok, then I’ll take a 1 year deal instead.”

Bottom line: Fair deal for all concerned that should have been done a long time ago.

Let me get this straight. It’s a good deal for all concerned. But it’s also evidence of DL low-balling POS. And the reason it’s low-balling is apparently that, although the deal they made is fair, DL obviously offered less initially, and THAT offer was low-balling, causing all the problems.

That’s called negotiating. If DL starts off offering $3MM/year and doesn’t budge, there is no deal. Both parties begin negotiations at some distance from the deal they will accept finally, so that they have room to move in the negotiation. To sit around criticizing DL for initially offering less is just as crazy as criticizing POS for asking for more. You just CAN’T criticize DL for not “getting this done sooner” while at the same time saying it’s such a good deal for everyone. The only way for one party to get it done sooner is to cave. I would think that would be obvious. But somehow it’s not.

And, p.s., nobody has ever said anything about “saving the big money for Kopitar and/or JJ” so there’s no reason to take an “I’ll believe it when I see it” attitude. DL is not trying to save money on POS that he can then SPEND on Kopitar and Johnson. He’s trying to keep ALL of his players’ salaries in check, because if you overpay one of them, you have to then overpay ALL THE OTHERS.

Wavesinair –

Nope. That’s what YOU call negotiating.

That’s what it is, by definition. All you are doing is revealing your ignorance and prejudice.

Creative solutions are not your bag, I get it.

Just saying “creative solutions” doesn’t mean you have any…

…nor does it mean there or that there are any possible, given the parameters set by the CBA. As you obviously don’t know, there could be no incentives built into POS’s contract, so a lot of the so-called “creativity” has been taken out of the negotiation process. Aside from how much and for how long, and the specific break-down of how much in each of the given years, there is virtually nothing of any significance that can be varied in the contract.

But let’s hear about it. Give me an example of a creative solution that you would have employed.

Saying “can’t” over and over only makes it true in your reality.

Your definition of “over and over” is…once? But you’re right, of course. You can say it. You said it. I wouldn’t say it.

He could have done it sooner. He even said he had no patience for the process. He admitted his weakness to everyone.

I really don’t know what admission you’re talking about. I’m sure you can cite the relevant quotes. (please do)

But it’s still a negotiation about money and number of years. That’s it. You think DL can sweeten his pension contribution (he can’t)? Health insurance coverage (he can’t)? Red M&Ms in a little bowl in the hotel rooms?

And with your limited ability to consider alternate solutions shows your weakness.

Your evidence of my limited ability to consider alternative solutions is what? The fact that I mentioned that a negotiation traditionally has two parties make offers and counter-offers and meet in the middle? That’s how it works. What’s the alternative?

There are two: (1) the two parties say their two numbers; one caves; (2) the two parties say the exact same number and agree.

In your world, it would be impossible for Selanne to be working out with the evil team without a contract, yet it happened.

That’s not impossible in my world. It happened in my world. (he did have a contract, by the way; a try-out contract.) As you know, the Selanne situation was unique, and his agent was not trying to get the most money or the best contract for his client; he was just trying to get him signed to the Ducks. Also, he was a UFA (see above).

Just because it’s business, doesn’t mean it has to be contentious.

Exactly.

What are you talking about? Many people have said this in one form or another.

I was responding to a comment of someone’s: “Ill believe the big bucks are shelled out when I see it. Until then, I want you to remember your statement when the ‘just sign already!’ chants are singing surrender next summer and calling Kopi a greedy bastard. Remember, all this money is being saved for Kopi and JMFM. Right? Right. Yeah right!”

What I am talking about, is this: the money is not being saved “for” Kopitar and JMFJ; this makes it sound like you think DL is going to take the money he saved by screwing over POS and give it to Kopitar and Johnson. That is a fundamental misunderstanding of how the projected salary cap payroll works and what DL is saying about it. The rationale for not overpaying POS now is that to do so would mean you would have to overpay Kopitar and Johnson (and everyone else) later. It’s not, “we’ll save now so we can spend later.” It’s “we will not overpay this player now because that mistake would be multiplied many times over later and then we will lose the core of the team.”

Your if/then statements are very limited and have no basis in fact.

I made one “if/then” statement. It was, if DL’s initial offer was $3MM/3 years, and he refused to budge, there would have been no deal. The agent would also have refused to budge, and it would have been open warfare, the very same contentious atmosphere you have been lobbying against. For “basis in fact,” ask any entertainment or contract lawyer.

There have been many players overpaid by LBL [sic], yet magically, Brown and Patio weren’t!

UFAs and RFAs are different. Do you really need me to explain why?

Waaay too much time on your hands Quisp. I have neither the time nor the inclination to counter each of your assumptions, but Ill try to clarify a couple of main points.

There are many, many different tactics in negotiations. Starting with a low-ball figure and arguing for it is just ONE way of starting a negotiation and NOT the only way. There are many alternatives. I hope you understand this. Dont argue about it with me. It is a fact. When I mentioned creativity, which you still cannot come to terms with, I meant creative negotiating tactics and NOT creative bonus clauses in the contract. Of course I know that bonuses are now very limited by the collective bargaining agreement.

Lombardi comes across as an aggressive negotiator. Thats just my take on him. My approach would have been to use many more cooperative strategies to start negotiations. They have been shown to be much more beneficial by avoiding such emotions as frustration, which was exactly what happened. It didnt have to be that way, as I tried to explain to you to before.

LBL said, All the grinding that was done in the last couple days, that’s where (Solomon’s) experience really comes in, because he had more patience than I did.

There you go. Im sure youll interpret this statement differently than I did, but it is clear that LBL admittedly has less patience than Solomon and as a result, other agents now know this (or already did). Your if/then statement once again only shows how ridged you are about negotiation.

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