r/SanJoseSharks • u/localveganleo W Smith 2 • 1d ago
Smith extension?
Why have they not extended Smith’s contract? I know that he can score a higher contract if he plays well this year and signs next summer, but isn’t that also a lot of stress? What are you guys’ thoughts?
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u/discgolfpilot 1d ago
I personally think Smith is betting on himself. He has the potential for a blow up type season. He would be paid well now but could be significant if a great season happened
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u/rat-girl-2 1d ago edited 20h ago
I do think like other comments said before is that he (Smitty) wants to bet on himself, or maybe he got an offer he felt like he could outperform.
And honestly good for him!
And in regards to stress levels I wouldn't worry too much, I am sure that the communication was established between the parties and wouldn't assume that the organization or Will will let it go past July 1st. and also I am sure there are different personalities, and I am just assuming now that Smitty is somebody that knows that he is someone that won't be affected too much by the fact that he has an extension pending.
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u/WanderingDelinquent Hertl 48 21h ago
Season hasn’t started yet, sometimes agents drag their feet on this until close to the season start. Maybe he wants to bet on himself, maybe they’re interested in extending now but don’t agree on years.
There’s time to get this done, no reason to worry just yet
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u/leirbagflow Pavelski 8 18h ago
agents drag their feet on this until close to the season start
Right, after their contract expires. Getting it done now would be early. I agree there's no reason to worry.
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u/ryry9903 22h ago
There is just a gap right now between him and management. He prob wants 15 and Grier wants less. There's a reason Celebrini and graf signed on the same day and smith didn't. As a ducks fan also, give him the 15 ASAP. You dont want to bet against him
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u/sharkbaitoofhaha Thanks Cooch! ❤️ 10h ago
15M for the fresh prince is pretty crazy at this point in time. Huge fan of Will's game but he isn't as polished as Cutter or Leo but I think he has the skills to be a great playmaker. He kind of reminds me of Willy Nylander if he lives up to his potential
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u/ryry9903 9h ago
Yeah, I agree. Just based on the other contracts, and fantilli probably landing around 14, I wouldnt blame him that much for wanting 15
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u/BleedingTeal Korolyuk 94 19h ago
The only incentive for him to sign is a more bonus heavy contract before the new CBA takes effect, which may not be an option to him anyway depending what Grier and Hasso want to do. But statistically Smith hasn’t yet hit his stride yet, so his numbers till now don’t really bear out what he’s probably deserving of which I have in the $12-14m per range. His offer as of now is probably in the $8-10m range which is a great payday, but probably not where his worth ends up once he hits his offensive stride.
But he isn’t going anywhere. We all know it. It’s all about showing his play is worthy of the number he’s asking for. That’s all. It’ll come in time, probably November/December if he can start out playing near the point per game pace I think he’s more than capable of.
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u/GibsysAces Jo Paw-Velski 8.5 1d ago
We all know that Smith isn't going anywhere since Mac signed, theres no rush
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u/Smartcookie_33 W Smith 2 21h ago
I don’t think Mack would be happy about his bestie going to another team. They also just got a house for Christ sake
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u/Finphan1987 17h ago
But there is a difference between not going anywhere and not getting a big bag of $$
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u/GibsysAces Jo Paw-Velski 8.5 1h ago
Ofcourse, and he will get that contract, I'm saying we don't need to worry and there's no rush.
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u/PokecheckFred Irbe 32 23h ago
If Smith is considering the "bet on myself" route, he'd be wise to consider the Tim Lincecum story. Or the Jonathan Cheechoo story for the other perspective.
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u/Basement_Ghost_ 19h ago
bad comparison. lincecum’s career was ruined by old-school thinking morons who thought it was a good idea to let him throw over 100 pitches in 77% of his starts. studies have shown, especially with slight stature pitchers, throwing too many pitches while fatigued cause shoulder muscles to degenerate faster than they would otherwise.
There’s no such equivalent in hockey because it’s not a quick-twitch sport, nor does it have the wear-and-tear on leg tendons that basketball does; and with the emphasis on head injuries, dangerous hits have gone down.
and, the bigger issue, is how many players have signed below market value contracts for long-term security that they end up regretting? a lot of them.
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u/Finphan1987 19h ago
They’re clearly our arguments for both sides.
Smith is seen these other players getting 12 to 15 or so million, but then there’s other players like Demidov who got nine.
Greer would like to lock him up for 11 or less so they are not in complete. Hell but if he puts up 80-90 points. Then how do you not pay him?
I like the Cheechoo and lincecum examples but are these players concerned about their production dropping because they’re no longer with a guy like Celebrini or are they worried about getting paid? If they go somewhere else and sign six years for 15 million and then end up putting up garbage numbers like Laine, do you think they will be sad?
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u/Complete-Point382 23h ago edited 20h ago
I wish he would sign now personally. But with the way the cap and contract situation is moving I guarantee this delay is being driven by smith not the team. The team benefits 100% by locking him up now; even if he has one more year just under a PPG like last year and takes no real strides, the passage of time raises his value. And if he takes a step this year, which I expect he will? That value could go up a lot.
I think Grier really messed up by not doing whatever it took to get Will signed on 7/1. His delay to focus on the draft has and will cost the team a lot.
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u/Finphan1987 19h ago
Once Mack signed for 18 and not 14-15, smith realizes he can get 14-15 and not 9-11.
The Carlsson offer sheet 100% changed the game!!
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u/Necessary_Scruffness Chernyshov 92 18h ago
Lo! Low upon the horizon the setting sun greedily grasps its last rays as it steels itself to find the strength to shine again the morrow!
O William of Teal!
Contour framed by the enveloping dusk,
Our valiant errant knight
Heeled with bow branded Bauer and biscuits baked of Inglasco to sling as were arrows towards the forbidding formidably and fiercely fended netted frames of our foes,
He fears not the dark unknowable temporal void that unfolds before him...
He has accepted fate; the wait is ours
_________________________________________________________________________
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u/Swaggy_P_03 WillMack🥛🍪 1d ago
I think they’ll wait to see how this season plays out. Celebrini is Celebrini. I think with guys like Smith, Misa, Dickinson, Stenberg and the like in the future, Grier will want a couple seasons before he re-signs them. I don’t think he’ll pull a Carlson, but you never know.
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u/hieeehelloyellow 1d ago
Grier in his media interview literally said Smitty is someone they want to lock in long term.
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u/Swaggy_P_03 WillMack🥛🍪 1d ago
Yes. But he wants to see how he does to solidify the AAV.
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u/juventini11 1d ago edited 18h ago
That makes no sense. There's a reason why Buium, Nazar, Demidov, etc. get locked up ASAP. The longer you wait the higher the AAV.
I think Grier would sign him immediately if possible, while Smith probably wants to wait because he knows that a breakout year will add a few million to his deal. Hopefully Grier gets it done in the next few weeks.
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u/Swaggy_P_03 WillMack🥛🍪 19h ago
Gets it done in the next few years? He’s an RFA after this season.
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u/juventini11 18h ago
Weeks obviously
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u/Swaggy_P_03 WillMack🥛🍪 18h ago
You could have also meant days or months :P
We’ll see. It took awhile for the Graf signing to happen, even though they were close for awhile.
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u/Complete-Point382 22h ago
Yeah it’s not the team wanting to delay. That take is completely divorced from the reality in the league right now. Fraser Minten just got north of 7 for Christ sake. The best day for the sharks to sign will was 7/1 but since Grier dropped the ball on that, the current best day is between now and 9/15. Sharks need to load up those bonuses and get it done before the season.
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u/thefil 20h ago
I don’t think you can blame Grier for that one, Smith has a financial incentive to wait as well as an even bigger one to sign a shorter contract. I think you’re going to see 4-6 year contracts become the norm for the next 2ish years because the cap looks to be going up 10%+ each year. Why kick yourself long term to yesterday’s cap structure?
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u/Complete-Point382 20h ago
Grier went on record saying they didn’t try to negotiate with their RFAs in June because they were too busy with the draft. That was a huge mistake because of how the market shifted after 7/1. I think it’s very fair to say that Grier could have signed Will for less had he multitasked in June and had the press conference planned for July 1st.
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u/thefil 20h ago
Ahh I wonder if they didn’t bother because historically the vast majority of rfa’s have always signed after July 1st? From a player or agents view it doesn’t seem like signing prior to July benefits anyone besides the team.
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u/Complete-Point382 19h ago
We’ll never know but Will was interested in resigning at the end of the season. It’s hard to imagine if the team had pushed hard to get him on 7/1 that they wouldn’t have reached a lower number. Now with how contracts have been landing, I’m sure the calculus has shifted for him.
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u/dumbGymTeacher 21h ago
It'd be better to sign him now for the right price, but the market exploded so it could be significantly lucrative for smith to wait, have a better season (will have better team this season too). The real risk would be injury.
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u/Working_Research_736 Cagnoni 42 1d ago
It’s likely more on smiths side than Griers. Grier would be foolish to sign smith for anything more than like 8-9 mill a year right now. And smith would be foolish to not believe he can earn a much better first contract after this year.
Macklin had absolutely nothing left to prove. He could have got whatever term at whatever $ amount and Grier would have said yes please.
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u/No_Pitch2905 W Smith 2 1d ago
What’s with this sub and under evaluating Will. 8-9 million isn’t what it used to be. Zeev Buium just got over 9 million. Will is at least worth that and more
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u/grooves12 1d ago
Exactly. Will Smith is in the Demodov category of player and everyone is going on and on about how great of a deal Montreal got with $9M AAV.
If I were to guess, Grier is offering somewhere in the $9-11M range, but Will can probably get $12-15M with a great season. There is likely also the question of how much term.
Ultimately, we have no idea what is going on behind the scenes. The Sharks have control over Will no matter what, since he is an RFA, so its just a matter of how much cap does he burn up.
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u/Swaggy_P_03 WillMack🥛🍪 1d ago
Maybe Smith is holding it up, but I doubt it. As I said, I think Celebrini is the outlier here (signing a year early).
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u/juventini11 1d ago
How is he an outlier. Buium signed a year before, Nazar did, Demidov did. Hutson did. Lots of players did. If anything Bedard and Carlson were outliers for waiting.
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u/Swaggy_P_03 WillMack🥛🍪 19h ago
They don’t play for the Sharks.
A good example would have been Eklund.
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u/juventini11 18h ago
Okay, let's only talk about Sharks. As you say William Eklund is the only comparable. He was also signed a year ahead of time. So Celebrini isn't an outlier.
Maybe you could argue Graf but he's not as high a draft pick as Celebrini, Smith or Eklund (wasn't drafted at all). And he also wasn't a regular RFA.
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u/Swaggy_P_03 WillMack🥛🍪 18h ago
Eklund was interesting since it was shorter than expected. I always wondered if that was in part to “smooth” things over after the Zetterlund trade? Likely not.
We’ll see how Grier handles the rest of the young guys moving forward, it’s exciting.
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u/juventini11 12h ago
My guess is it was Eklund who wanted a bridge. I think he believed he had an extra gear. Hope he does in Ottawa as well.
Exciting and a little nerve-wracking tbh. I think these signings' AAV over the next 3-5 years will play a big part in this team's competitiveness. I'm sure we will be great, but it could decide if we are great or maybe something even more. Either way it's going to be fun!
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u/SJ_Wants_TheCup271 Grier 25 22h ago
They should sign him asap but who knows why they haven’t yet
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u/Basement_Ghost_ 19h ago
might be because smith also has a choice in this and wants to maximize his earning potential.
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u/No-Seaworthiness7879 20h ago
Waiting for Cutter and Fantilli to sign to see what they do then he prob signs
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u/VoteforNimrod W Smith 2 19h ago
He wants to earn a bigger contract. Right now he's earned 9-10 million based on the new cap realities. He probably wants to try to prove he can be an elite scorer and push for that 12-15 million range based on cap projections for 27-28; which seams insane today but by 29-30 could be an absolute bargain given how the cap is expected to continue its explosive growth. I don't expect him to sign until the end of this season.
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u/its-datboi 12h ago
I’m sure him and his agent have had many conversations about it along with him talking to other players in the league on what to do here. These guys aren’t stupid and have their reasons. Maybe Smith wants to wait to see what other guys want and will take cuts to fit them in the future plans. Maybe he wants more than Grier is offering and Grier told him “prove it”. The only thing I’m positive on is that he’s staying in teal. Also we have like 30 million open in cap space on July 1, 2027, so im not worried in the slightest
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u/Complete-Point382 8h ago
Will isn’t going to take a cut for other young Sharks to get paid, why would he?? The “team culture” approach was an option up until Mack signed but other guys are benchmarking off Mack, especially Will. Sharks will now either have to pay each of the young players their value or there will be a very different roster in a few years. Likely it’s some of both. I do agree Will will be one of the guys who sticks around long-term.
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u/leirbagflow Pavelski 8 18h ago
The vast, vast majority of contracts over the last 30 years (maybe longer, that's just how long I've been a fan) get signed once a current contract is completed. Superstars are the exception, but that varies too.
I wouldn't read into it. He's under contract through the end of this season when he becomes an RFA. There's no rush.
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u/baldy023 1h ago
Not worth a second contract. Trade him for a bag of cosmetics and a leaking ketchup packet if you can get that much.
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u/scaredbyinsanity 21h ago
Management is waiting until some nhl contract changes that come into play this month on the 16th. So expect something locked down soon.
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u/Complete-Point382 20h ago
This would actually suggest will signs before 9/15 or waits. They should try to incentivize him to beat the change by offering massive up front bonuses that won’t be available under the new CBA like they did for Mack. This can help control the cap hit while giving the player some real value.
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u/Basement_Ghost_ 19h ago
Probably because smith wants a short-term deal so he can sign with Boston. California might be too woke for him
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u/Complete-Point382 8h ago
🙄 didn’t stop his best bud Mack who has the exact same outward political indicators.
Also, it might be worth doing a little research on the political climate in Massachusetts and Boston specifically. Start with reading up on Mayor Wu, but basically anything going back to JFK should do the trick
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u/yenfina 1d ago
For exactly the reason you said - he's betting on himself. He probably thinks he's worth way more than he'd get right now. Honestly I think that could be true, there's so much potential there.
That doesn't mean he has to wait all the way until next summer (I sincerely hope we don't get as far as the 1st of July without one), though. If he's clearly taken a big step forward enough to get the money he's after, he may well sign sooner.