Can someone shed light on how much longer we're paying Darcy Tucker for? And can someone explain why it was as many years as it is? I think he was $1 mil per year for (too many) years.
It's a shame his good years were tarnished by a bad contract at the end.
I agree. But still it was an unbelievably bad contract. It's not like Tucker was at the top of his game when the contract was signed. He was in the middle of an injury-plagued season where he was playing like a shell of his former self. One thing to remember is that we don't actually know if this was entirely Ferguson's decision.
Darcy Tucker may not have left the Leafs under the best circumstances, but in my opinion, he is absolutely memorable as one of the best Leafs of the post-lockout era. I definitely believe that the effort that he put into his play as a Maple Leaf significantly shortened his long-term career. The warrior mentality that he provided in his prime years made him more of a fan-favorite than even Sundin during the era, and it is altogether likely that the determination with which he played shortened his career.
I, for one, believe that we owe more than $1M over 3-4 years to Darcy Tucker. Sure, it sucks that it's counting against our salary cap right now, but as far as dollars go we owe it to the man. I know it's unlikely to see him involved in coaching in the near future, but if he were ever to choose that route I would certainly expect the MLSE organization to find him a spot. Even if it's simply an assistant coach to the Marlies, I certainly believe it is well-deserved.
I agree. But still it was an unbelievably bad contract. It's not like Tucker was at the top of his game when the contract was signed. He was in the middle of an injury-plagued season where he was playing like a shell of his former self. One thing to remember is that we don't actually know if this was entirely Ferguson's decision.
Really? Tucker was playing some of the best hockey of his career when he signed that deal. An injury slowed him down when he was on pace for another 60+ season, which he had the year before. He had a found his scoring touch and was a constant threat on the PP. There's a much better argument that those were his best years than his worst.
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Originally Posted by Guy Boucher
1. To not trade him before giving him that contract (i.e. at his highest value). 2. To buy him out.
He was hurt, so you couldn't really trade him at his peak value. I agree buying him out at that point was stupid. We had cap space and could have easily eaten up 2 years of the buy out if not more.
I think you guys are too tough on an ex Leaf that gave it all for our buds. It's not his fault injuries caught up him, for all the heart and highlights he provided(most notable was the hit on Flyers Kapanen) it was a delight to watch him suit up for the Buds! Enjoy retirement Darcy you earned it.
never understood the buyout of Tucker Fletcher was suppose to come in to clear the slate ie make the team worse which would almost gaurantee us missing the playoffs so why not just keep him for one more year or 2 the new GM could always just buy him out when ever he wanted to. however Tucker was an awsome player for the leafs.
Loved Tuckers game and fight every night he played. Don't get the buyout thing, but live and learn I guess, (though there must have been a better way imho).
