Weber wanted $8.5M for next season, the Predators offered $4.75M (a clearly obvious low ball offer), and the arbitrator awarded him $7.5M. Weber might very well prove worthy of that salary, but it was still an overpayment. Nick Lidstrom won the Norris trophy and signed a 1 year deal for $6.2M, and fellow nominee Zdeno Chara brings in $6.9M per season. Makes you wonder how the arbitrator came up with $7.5M, when none of Weber's Norris nominee peer group makes within $500K of his new salary. Half way between the two offers $6.5M would have been fair market value. Perhaps the arbitrator wanted to punish the Preds for low balling the offer? I'm trying to make some sense of it all, but I can see it makes no sense at all.
This is the largest arbitration prize that has ever been awarded, but then again few players of this stature and calibre make it to arbitration. Perhaps the biggest question, is Shea Weber insulted by the Preds offer? He was overpaid by a million dollars, though that is the Preds fault for taking him to arbitration (blocking other teams from making offers). Had he been an unrestricted free agent, he could have easily scored a $7.5M per year deal for long term. He's that good. But, the Preds still own his rights for another season after this one, so it is not the same circumstances as Parise.
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