2007 Vanek offer sheet changed hockey

The Buffalo News has one of the most intriguing articles of the week, detailing the long career of player agent Steve Bartlett. Fascinating tale and well worth a read, from top to bottom.

One of Bartlett's clients is Montreal Canadiens winger Thomas Vanek, who will be an unrestricted free agent this summer. In 2007, Vanek was a restricted free agent with the Buffalo Sabres when the Edmonton Oilers negotiated a seven-year, $50 million offer sheet with Bartlett.

Huge news at the time.

“People thought Edmonton was a vagabond rebel there, but there were two or three other teams who were right there, right close to doing it,” Bartlett said. “The fact that they didn’t want Buffalo to match made it even easier for me to draw up the numbers to a ‘let’s try to scare them away’ number, which we did. To be honest with you, once you’re trying to scare a team away, frankly that works into my favor because then you’re going to get overpaid.

“That contract far exceeded market value. I’m the first one to tell you that was probably too much for Vanek at the time, but it’s my job to solicit it.”

Things changed after that offer sheet.

“Not to pat myself on the back, but I think that was an eye-opening, market-changing contract because then other teams suddenly said, ‘Oh, that could happen,’ ” Bartlett said. “As a fan of the game and a fan of business health, I’m not even sure it was good because I think guys were starting to get paid too early for what they had accomplished. Teams started getting defensive and signing guys worried about that, and they overpaid them and paid them longer.

“I don’t know if I helped the health of the league, but again it’s my job to do the best I can for the player.”

Source: John Vogl, Buffalo News