In the NHL universe, there’s a kind of black hole where veterans who suffer chronic injuries and don’t complete their contracts suddenly disappear. And this black hole leads to a mysterious destination, Robidas Island, whose inhabitants sometimes lose the ability to speak.
No one said the name of Robidas Island on Saturday when the management and players of the Canadiens drew the line under the dreadful 2021-2022 season. But from self -inquiry to inquiry, it seems to be the main theme of the day.
So with a little imagination, you can almost see a new section of the island equipped especially for the weary Canadian warriors.
Robidas Island was invented by a Toronto journalist during the 2015-2016 period. At the time, Maple Leafs manager was Lou Lamoriello. On the eve of his 38th birthday, defender Stéphane Robidas suffered an ongoing knee injury. And for two years, Lamoriello literally removed him from his salary cap and team entourage by putting his name on the long -term injured list.
Intelligently, Lamoriello removed a player over 35 from his roster without being penalized by the league and without sacrificing financial flexibility.
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Over the years, many other brave veterans have landed on Robidas Island, including Chris Pronger, Nathan Horton and Marian Hossa.
Hossa’s case particularly caught NHL attention five years ago because it allowed the Blackhawks to bypass the salary cap.
In collective agreement, you guessed it, avoiding the pay cap is an offense whose seriousness outweighs any aggression that might occur on the ice. Simple question of priorities.
In 2009, therefore, Slovak signed a 12-year contract worth a total of 63.3 million. The said agreement brought him 59.3 million in the first eight years, and an annual salary of 1 million in the last four. However, due to incredible bad luck, Marian Hossa developed a skin disease and had to withdraw before the less profitable part of her contract could begin.
Spread over 12 years, Marian Hossa’s average salary gave the Blackhawks a total advantage of about 10.5 million in the first four years of his career. If Hossa officially retires, Chicago will be accused of avoiding the cap and will have to deduct that amount from its roster for the next four seasons.
Instead of punishing him, the management just sent him to Robidas Island! And recently, a year after her contract and no one lost even a dollar Marian Hossa finally announced her retirement.
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All this to say that contrary to popular belief (a fiction maintained by the previous CH administration) Shea Weber is no longer a Canadian captain. For the simple and good reason he became a citizen of Robidas Island in the summer of 2021 and will remain until June 2026.
Weber ended the last campaign in pain and suffering. He is disabled due to a chronic injury. He no longer knows how to play hockey.
Between the seasons of 2021-2022 and 2025-2026, he still has a $ 12 million salary to earn. So there is no question that he will announce his retirement. And if he has, the Nashville Predators, his former employer, will be penalized a total of $ 24.5 million on their payroll over the next few seasons.
Weber therefore retired. It is an open secret that no one has the right to repeat. Remember the crush when Jonathan Drouin said it last fall.
Although he is no longer a member of CH, many fans criticize Weber for not showing a microphone to explain his situation and for not participating frequently in team activities. And unbelievably, he was even booed by spectators at the Bell Center on Friday night!
The truth is that until the NHL recognizes his permanent disability, he will have nothing to gain from walking on shells in front of the cameras.
Shea’s situation is complicated on many levels, from insurance (salary) issues to league issues that we’re not prepared to discuss (public) Kent Hughes explained yesterday.
(…) There is no question for us to stop him from discussing. I think Shea is uncomfortable answering questions without saying too much about her injury (…). He was not comfortable being placed in a context where he was told he could talk, but not addressing his injury or such and such a thing. This is not disrespect on his part. It’s just that he’s not comfortable with the context comment of the Canadian DG.
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It may be necessary to begin to get used to the caution, the silence or the mysterious language of the inhabitants of Robidas Island. Judging by what Carey Price said, sadly, it looks like he has a good chance of ending his career there as well.
The CH star goalkeeper explained that he kept the net on Friday, thinking it could be his last game. The insinuations made that day by Martin St-Louis, several players, as well as equipment manager Pierre Gervais, took on new meaning. Just like the celebrations that took place in the locker room after the game.
The price still has $ 31.5 million in wages to be collected over the next four seasons. His contract structure has benefited CH by about 10.75 million over the past four seasons.
My knee is still swollen. Because of this, there are some things that are hard to do right at the rink. (…) My honest opinion is that I don’t think my current state will be sustainable for an entire season. I have some questions about this said Carey Price.
Last Thursday in New York, the CH goalkeeper met with his orthopedic surgeon, doctor Robert Marx, to try to understand why his knee was not healing. He said he did not get clear answers to his questions during his visit. So she wants to get a second medical opinion on her condition. The price does not rule out the possibility of re -operation.
He tried to be optimistic by emphasizing that he intends to fight to get back strong and he has plenty of time to prepare for next season. But let’s get things started: there’s currently more chance of him landing on Robidas Island than CH’s starting line-up next October.
Its so sad.
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In the same vein, the brave Paul Byron appeared in front of the press at the end of the morning.
Continuing to be affected by injuries, the valiant 33 -year -old striker has played just 102 games in the past three seasons. Once one of the NHL’s most productive 5-on-5 forwards, he only had 13 goals and 20 assists in that span.
This season, it was a hip surgery that forced him through a long period of rehabilitation. He only played 27 games where he started to fail and his inoperated (left) hip swelled again. So he was unable to finish the season with his teammates.
There is still a season left (3.4 million) on his contract and he thinks the coming summer will be his last chance. Lucid, he now considers his career short.
I still have a few months left to work hard. If I can’t get back in shape, I may have a tough decision to make. his confession.
Atleast, if it wasn’t going to be to his liking, Byron wouldn’t be alone on the island.
Source: Radio-Canada
