12/21/24
January 18, 2006
Sudden Surprise: Penguins' Zigmund Palfy retires, leaving behind a $13.5 million contract. The way the season is going for the Pens, perhaps they're wishing that Gonchar, with his $25 million, is going to retire too. Thankfully, that leaves them with enough cap room to acquire... Eric Cairns?
thats a lot of money to just throw away by retiring!
posted by united-soccer at 11:02 PM on January 18, 2006
And with 42 points in 42 games you'd hardly call him ineffective. He's not like Brett Hull throwing in the towel earlier this season. He seems like he could keep up with the "New NHL".
posted by gspm at 11:18 PM on January 18, 2006
He followed his doctor's advice to not have a 3rd reconstructive surgery on his shoulder. Good on him, I say.
posted by qbert72 at 11:41 PM on January 18, 2006
I guess he wants to use that shoulder for the rest of his life instead of just for the next year or two. (What up wit dat?)
posted by chicobangs at 03:18 AM on January 19, 2006
I had him in a pool too.
posted by fabulon7 at 07:13 AM on January 19, 2006
I would told him to rub some dirt on it and quit his belly achin'.
posted by HATER 187 at 07:58 AM on January 19, 2006
Looks like I was wrong about the next Penguin to go. Definitely a sudden surprise. I'm sure putting up those kind of numbers in a losing cause helped make his decision easier.
posted by njsk8r20 at 08:04 AM on January 19, 2006
Jes has some uncommon insight into how Palffy is perceived in his native Slovakia(formerly Czech.) Born into a long line of Hungarian nobility (of which he knows little about, not surprisingly), Palffy has that natural skill that is so rare among the human population. Given his 'luck' in life, Palffy is quite a slacker and his off-season conditioning is about as strenuous as that of Robert Svehla's (beer and golf). Palffy is known among the local Skalica residents to be extremely cocky and haughty, acting like a 'spoiled prince'
posted by garfield at 08:24 AM on January 19, 2006
If I had only read the headline that said he retired because of "personal reasons", and knowing he had previously turned down the option of playing the Olympics, I would have immediately assumed he had failed a drug test and was looking to avoid the negative publicity. That said, it's sucks that he forced to retire. I hope he invested his money well.
posted by grum@work at 03:20 PM on January 19, 2006
I watched Ziggy on a regular basis when he was with the Kings. The guy is very talented. I think if he would have worked harder on his game, he would have been one of the top 5 players in the league-he's that good. I also heard his work ethic was less than stellar. Too bad he never lived up to his potential.
posted by Desert Dog at 03:57 PM on January 19, 2006
Does it seem weird to anyone else that this frees up cap space this year but his salary will count against the Pens for the next two years (until the end of the contract he signed last summer)? (Unless I'm understanding the cap incorrectly.)
posted by goatdog at 04:00 PM on January 19, 2006
Spector seems to think it will clear cap space this year, and the next two. If I had a definitive answer, I'd share it.
posted by garfield at 05:02 PM on January 19, 2006
I am 90% positive that if he actually files his retirement papers, he doesn't count against the cap anymore.
posted by fabulon7 at 07:58 PM on January 19, 2006
After doing a little huting around I would think the situation is that Palffy isn't going to get paid, and his salary won't count against the cap, this year or in the future. If you were using the Mogilny or Andreychuk situation for comparison, I think the difference here is that Palffy is under the veteran determinant of not being 35 years old. Tom Benjamin is who I rely on for CBA info.
posted by garfield at 08:03 PM on January 19, 2006
If he retired for injury reasons won't the insurance on his contract kick in?
posted by HATER 187 at 08:33 AM on January 20, 2006
Yeah, I forgot that he's under 35. Which still leaves the pertinent question of what the hell is up with the CBA's treatment of contracts for players over 35? It's not like NHL teams sign older players to huge back-loaded contracts with the intention of unilaterally breaking the contract long before that money comes due (like in the NFL), because NHL teams can't do that. There doesn't seem to be any reason for what the NHL does now. (thanks for the Tom Benjamin link, garfield)
posted by goatdog at 03:20 PM on January 20, 2006
Anyone else find it suspicous how the NEW CBA seems to be locked away in a vault somewhere? There must be something in there we are gonna be shocked at. One day hockey fans everywhere will be saying WTF!
posted by njsk8r20 at 03:50 PM on January 20, 2006
Yep. Had him in a pool. Thanks.