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ALSO ON SLAM!
Wednesday, December 22, 1999
Sutterly absurd!
Flames' costly signing simply reeks of nepotism
The Calgary Flames are the talk of the NHL these days, but it has nothing to do with the team's improved play.
It has to do with the signing of the coach's son.
Agents and scouts around the league are in shock over the pricey signing of Brian Sutter's son, Shaun.
The three-year deal, signed Dec. 13 but not made public by the club until Dec. 18, includes a signing bonus of $225,000 US and guarantees a minor-league salary ranging from $57,500 to $62,500 US.
In other words, if Sutter never plays a game in the NHL, he will still be handed more than $400,000 US.
Not bad for a 19-year-old who has one goal and five assists in 24 games this season with the Medicine Hat Tigers.
"This is big-time nepotism -- everyone in the business knows why Shaun Sutter got signed," said one scout who, like all the others, would be foolish to allow his name to be made public. "Everybody is talking about it -- it's a joke."
Whether it's nepotism or bad business, this deal stinks.
The ownership group should seriously question the mentality of paying an inordinate amount of money to an unproven, third-line, checking centre, who has a plus-minus rating of minus-17 (albeit on a bad team).
Besides, grinders come a dime a dozen -- just ask Brian Sutter, who already employs a handful of them.
What's more, for a small-market franchise that has stressed over and over how important it is to make smart business decisions to stay afloat, GM Al Coates just did the very thing that will ultimately drive teams like his south -- raise salaries.
"The Calgary Flames have just gone out and raised the bar substantially for the whole marketplace," smirked one agent. "The team is always saying, 'Oh gee whiz, poor us, we can't compete with the crazy dollars teams like New York offer players.' Well, they've just done the same thing and shot themselves in the foot. Everyone's going to look at that contract and use it as leverage."
To cite one example of many that prove this contract is out of whack, the Flames gave 1996 draft pick Ronald Petrovicky roughly half the signing bonus Shaun got (a paltry $175,000 Cdn). Petrovicky is slightly bigger than Sutter and scored 64 goals in 71 games as an overager in Regina. As a 19-year-old, the ninth-rounder scored 32 goals.
Coates argues the money Sutter received was in line with other fourth-round picks, a flawed argument considering Sutter's early selection (112th) drew guffaws in 1998 due to a Central Scouting ranking of 190th.
That being said, perhaps the huge stock Coates puts into the Sutter name will pan out as it did when he disagreed with Central Scouting and took a chance drafting Derek Morris in the first round.
"I think it's ignorant," said Coates when asked for his reaction to those who called the signing nepotism.
"You don't draft a kid because of how he spells his last name. I don't think there's any issue here. Just because his name is Sutter, doesn't mean he should make less money."
Coates points out no journalists in Dallas criticized Stars GM Bob Gainey last year for giving his son Steve, a third-round selection in 1997, a deal with a $275,000 US bonus. In his third year, Gainey scored 21 goals with Kamloops compared to Sutter's single tally at midseason.
To Shaun's credit, the 6-ft., 175-lb. forward has been hampered all year by an abdominal strain that forced him to miss the Flames and the Tigers training camp, as well as 12 games.
What's more, he was drafted to prevent goals -- not score them. Possessing unquestioned character, leadership and the ability to shut down the opposition's top players -- attributes to which his last two junior coaches attest -- Shaun plays much like his father and uncles -- with grit.
However, the bottom line is the Flames paid too high a price for a kid who is struggling this year and has never scored more than 17 goals in a season.
No one is questioning the character of the Shaun or Brian Sutter, but some suggest this deal was made to make up for the fact Brian is still one of the lower-paid coaches in the NHL.
Any way you slice it, it just doesn't look good.
Coates has done a solid job over the years, given his parameters. However, it's shocking the media has let him off the hook on this one.
Coates can't be surprised to hear the whispers stemming from a deal that has the coach's son set up for life.
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