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"I'm a Shark out of Water in San Bernardino"
Alta Loma, CA • United States • 32 Years Old • Female
If you haven't heard yet, there is talk on the wires about Campbell looking likely to sign in SJ (And this isn't just coming from Eklund, there are reports on many different feeds about this). A recent article in the Ottawa Sun looks a little deeper into the possible transactions between the two teams. It's been known for a while now that the Senators GM has had an interest in bringing Campbell to Ottawa, but the report now is that he's focusing less on Campbell and looking at back-up plans, because talks between BC, BCs agent, and DW are happening frequently and apparently going well.

The article mentions a number of factors that make me hopeful he will choose to stay SJ:

*He likes DW, because he's "very up-front," and calls him a player's GM. (Also, Campbell's current agent is DW former agent, and that may work in SJ favor)

*Big Joe has been twisting his arm trying to get him to stay, they were childhood friends and teammates, and those seem to be the one's that never go away. (Plus, I've heard reports that their families are close)

*BC has made friends in San Jose. He mentions a PR guy that would come over to Joe's house (where BC is staying) twice a week to have dinner and hang out. Also, the team as a whole is very close, which is another point the article mentions may keep him there.

*He likes SJ. He notes that it's not a hockey driven sity, but the organization is great and the arena sells out every night, and the building is really loud.


I personally would like to see Campbell stay in SJ. He did show great potential during the regular season, and I think his play-off performance can be attributed to not being used to the Western Conference style of play (much more physical than the East). If he comes back and has a full season to adjust, I think he'll do much better next time around.

I don't however feel he's worth the up to $8 mill that everyone thinks he'll command. If I were DW, I would offer him a progressive contract at $30 mill for 6 years. The first two he gets $4mill, the next two he gets $5mill, and the last two he gets $6mill. This would allow room for the current cap, and allow it to increase as his salary does.

Here's the link to the full article if interested: http://www.ottawasun.com/...key/200...690121-sun.html
Filed Under:   San Jose   Sharks   Brian Campbell  
May 30, 2008 2:31 AM ET | Delete
Change that 30 million to 35-37.5 and you may have something :) I would love to see him stay too but he will command top dollar
May 30, 2008 8:23 AM ET | Delete
You're nuts. If he were going to sign for 5mil/yr, he would still be a Sabre.
May 30, 2008 8:27 AM ET
No offense, but he turned down a 3yr $6mil per offer from the Sabres. Brian won't settle for less than $6 mil when Dan Boyle in Tampa got $6.67 mil per year and is only 2yrs older and similar in style and capability.It is a pipe dream to think that Campbell would sign a graduated contract offer that starts out at $4 mil per year. My guess, he's going to end up with a nice $7 mil per year contract from some team that is dying to make a splash, raise some eyebrows, and make some newspaper articles.
May 30, 2008 8:31 AM ET | Delete
I'm sorry, but a contract for $30 mil over 6 years isn't gonna get it done for Campbell. He turned down a 3yr $6 mil contract offer from the Sabres so he could test out free agency offers.It's a pipe dream to think that Campbell would go for anything much less than Dan Boyle's contract out in Tampa. Danny is making $6.67 for the next 6 years and is only 2 yrs older than Campbell, with similar skills and playoff experience.My guess? Campbell is going to get $7 mil per year from some team out there that wants to make a splash on free agency day, wants to excite the fan base, and wants to make news headlines for a few days in Canada. I don't think that team will be San Jose, but who knows?
May 30, 2008 9:55 AM ET | Delete
I hope so. I fear Sather giving him a giant contract.
May 30, 2008 12:01 PM ET | Delete
I do think 30 mil over 6 years would work. The whole reason Campbell turned down the Sabres deal of 3 years at 6 million was because he wanted atleast a 5-year contract. The Sabres would not give him a deal that lasted more than 3 years.He wants the money, but he also wants the stability of playing in one city for more than 3 years.Look for the bright orange hair to continue to clash with a teal jersey.
May 30, 2008 12:34 PM ET | Delete
I think the Rangers are gonna run away from this guy. But 7 mill a year or at least the 6.5 Redden makes is a fair #. I expect Philly to try and get him
May 30, 2008 2:22 PM ET | Delete
Sharks_12: I would be willing to give him an additional $500k a year, but it would be in some sort of bonis package. That would rasise his contract to $33 mill, which is still a lot of money. Gosharks19: Exactly why I did it that way. I had heard his issue with previous offers was the length of the contract, so I gave him a longer term. For everyone else: I personally don't think he's worth the $8mill that the Blackhawks are rumered to offer. This is just my opinion, but compared to some of the other players that will be making that much , I don't think he brings the same level and quality of play. His regular season was good, his play-off performance was less than expected, but I think his game would be able to improve over last year in SJ, if he's given a full year to adjust to the Western Conference. That's another reason I would start him out low and raise it over time.
May 30, 2008 2:23 PM ET | Delete
Sorry...bonus package.
May 30, 2008 2:44 PM ET | Delete
Even if Campbell wants to stay in SJ the smallest price I can see him asking for is 6 million a year, and thats only if what your saying about Wilson and Thornton are true (I'm not doubting you, just being on the safe side). However, if Cambell is cash hunger he will easily demand 7 million, and if he hits the open market all bets are off. When players go on the market there seems to be 15-20% inflaction on what the player's salary would be (prior to entering the market, i.e. Drury, Gomez, Briere). It would then be hard to see that if he isn't signed by the time July 1st rolls around a team could offer him up to 8 million.
May 30, 2008 4:14 PM ET | Delete
I am hoping that at some point, us Sharks fans can stop portraying ourselves us as blind homers and letting the rest of the hockey world think that we are so naive? There isn't a snow balls chance in Heck that BC will sign for anything starting with a 5 or a 6. This guy is an All Star and in big demand league wide! At a minimum, his annual salary will be 7.x per and if he hits the open market, 8.x per minimum. This guy eats minutes, QB's PP's and better aligns your D squad to more effective minutes and pairings. And apparently proven, fast skating puck movers are just a little bit in demand!The feel good stories about a guy likes this friend, this city or weather means nothing. Just like every athlete always says in their post signing interview, "It wasn't about the money", yeah right! These guys are a business driven by agents and making the most money now, while they can. If the agent gets a feeling that Soupy will legitimately command 8.x, then that is what the Sharks will pay or enjoy seeing the best puck moving D to ever wear Teal, on another team next year. Unfortunately we'd all do the same, you are talking about money for them and their families for future generations and they can always hang with JT and Co. down the road. BC said on his trade deadline deal day interview, that he has gone this far and he owes it to himself to see what he can command at the end of the season. He has put in a lot of hard work and over achieved to get to this cross roads where he can finally get his biggest pay day. He is probably my favorite player to ever dawn the Teal and I remember watching the Sabres and just trying to imagine the Sharks with someone of his skills and then we signed him. I hope the Sharks get him but I will remain realistic from his point of view.
May 30, 2008 5:04 PM ET | Delete
Hey buddy, I resent that. I was taking the optimistic point of view, but you apparently missed that. The reality of the situation is that if the team allows him to walk away, they lose two players and a first round draft pick in a year where they could have gotten someone really good. I would hate to see that, and I'm sure DW would too. DW has been know to pull of a slight miracle in the past, ans I'm hoping he can pull another one out of his bag of tricks this year. I'm not saying these are the main reasons that he would chose to stay in SJ, but contributing factors. Some players in the ast have shown that its not always about the money, but what you can do for your team that allows them to take it to the next level too. Furthermore, from a business aspect, which looks better? A three year deal at $8mill, or a six year deal for a total of $33mill? Heck, I'll even throw in a no trade clause in the third year to sweeten it a bit.
May 30, 2008 8:11 PM ET | Delete
Please don't take my post as singling you out SoCal, my frustration is out of several months of various Sharks Fan sites populated with extremely low ball salary predictions for BC. I even read one recently where a fan thought he might sign for 4.5 per because the weather is nice. When it comes to Soupy, I think of all of the work he put in during the lock out and the many years he played in Juniors and now he is at the threshold of that big pay day that every pro athlete works their arse off for. I feel he won't sell himself short after making it this far.For the record, I do appreciate your posts and keeping the Sharks talk going during our off season. I actually have enjoyed your writing more than all the other various Sharks bloggers with the occasional exception of Mark and Ryan. Keep up the good work!
May 30, 2008 8:14 PM ET | Delete
honestly, its either gonna be stay in SJ, or go to Chicago, Ottawa, the Rangers or back to Buffalo.
May 31, 2008 3:03 AM ET | Delete
Oh, sorry. My bad...I've just had some tough criticism from time to time and had to defernd my point. I'm not trying to sell him short, I just think that BC may consider other things besides himself in addition to how much money he's going to get, yet I tend to give people more credit then they deserve I've found. Thanks for reading, and I hope I can live up to what I've already done. Please feel free to leave comments on any of my posts, I promise next time I won't bite your head off. :)
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