From David Pollak of the San Jose Mercury News:
Marc-Edouard Vlasic’s four-year contract extension will pay him $12.4 million between the 2009-10 and 2012-13 seasons. That’s an annual $3.1 million salary cap hit, even though the money isn’t spread equally over each of the four seasons. In Year One, for example, Vlasic is expected to earn $2.4 million.
GM Doug Wilson didn’t want to talk specific numbers, but he seemed very comfortable with the deal.
“He earned it,” Wilson said of Vlasic. “Nothing was given to him. He played so well and did his best against the other team’s best players.”
Read the entire entry from Working the Corners here.
The trend of signing players to long-term deals once their entry level contracts are up continues. The Sharks are “buying out” Vlasic’s restricted free agent/arbitration eligibility to lock him up long-term. I believe that at the end of the contract, Vlasic will be a bargain.