Jackets ink the Umberger

[dash]

RJ gets a big payday...

The Columbus Blue Jackets have signed R.J. Umberger to a five-year contract extension worth $23 million.

The deal will pay Umberger an average of $4.6 million per season. He will earn $5 million this season, and $4.5 million in each of the final four years of the deal.

The Columbus Post-Dispatch reported that the package features a no-trade clause for the first two years, and a modified no-trade clause for the final three seasons.

The 29-year-old Umberger scored 25 goals and 32 assists last year while playing in all 82 games for Columbus.

"We are pleased that we were able to come to an agreement with R.J.," said Blue Jackets executive vice-president of hockey operations and general manager Scott Howson. "R.J.'s commitment to the team and the city has been impactful since we acquired him three years ago. We are very excited about him continuing to play such a large role on our team."

Umberger has 74 goals and 158 points in 246 games since joining the Blue Jackets in a trade from the Philadelphia Flyers in June, 2008.

 

[DChero]

Disliked him since high school. Fuck that.

 

[dare2be]

ujelly?

 

[puckhead]

RJ Umberger will be 30 when his 5 year, $23MM extension kicks in.
His career high is 57 points. He plays with Rick Nash.


yep.

 

[DevilishWon]

RJ Umberger will be 30 when his 5 year, $23MM extension kicks in.
His career high is 57 points. He plays with Rick Nash.


yep.

are you suggesting he is a later day Rucchin?

 

[BOSSMANPC]

All he needs to do is keep his head up and not get railed every year and he will be fine.

 

[flyersfan4706]

Sharp, Leino, Umberger

All former Flyers who have gotten ridiculous overpayments this summer

 

[BOSSMANPC]

Sharp, Leino, Umberger

All former Flyers who have gotten ridiculous overpayments this summer

I can think of a few Flyer players that have been overpaid but I don't have that much time.

 

[dash]

Sharp, Leino, Umberger

All former Flyers who have gotten ridiculous overpayments this summer

It's a good thing there's a hard salary cap in place to prevent NHL GM's from throwing money around like drunken sailors...

 

[flyersfan4706]

I can think of a few Flyer players that have been overpaid but I don't have that much time.

Ill do it for you. Jagr, Bryz, Bob, Pronger.

But I find them all capable of lving up to their contracts at times. Leino is a very nice player to have, but for a guy with 54 points last season I just dont see it.

 

[flyersfan4706]

It's a good thing there's a hard salary cap in place to prevent NHL GM's from throwing money around like drunken sailors...

Haters gonna hate

 

[forty_three]

It's "the UmbergLer"

And people like dchero are still stinging from having been Umbergled.



I am happy with this. He is revered in this town (and let's face it, we need fans into it), the whole team likes him and he is almost singlehandedly responsible for psyching Carter up to come here after the initial shock.

Top line is probably going to be Umby - Carter - Nash. That will erase the easy shifts notion for opposing D-men. Something the Jackets have never had.

 

[dash]

Haters gonna hate

lol...Just a general comment for the majority of league GM's, I don't think they've learned any lessons from the last lockout and I fear we could be headed down a similar road again.

 

[dash]

By the way, I have nothing against the players getting as much bank as they can - The owners wanted a hard cap and thanks to Gary they got one. How they decide to use it, well that's up to them.

 

[flyersfan4706]

lol...Just a general comment for the majority of league GM's, I don't think they've learned any lessons from the last lockout and I fear we could be headed down a similar road again.

I really hope they all realize we cant afford another lockout. For now I just want to ignore it, but in the back of my mind I want to make this year count. Big time.

 

[forty_three]

By the way, I have nothing against the players getting as much bank as they can - The owners wanted a hard cap and thanks to Gary they got one. How they decide to use it, well that's up to them.

I agree with ya. I guess the rub is that the owners spent so much time griping that the out of control salaries were bankrupting the teams. As if Waddell had NO CONTROL over the money he paid Bobby Holik. So, in a few years, the Owners will be all like "How can a guy like Umberger get an extension like he did?"

Well, genius, he got it because that's what you gave him.

I don't hold anything against the players in this situation. And anyone who says they personally wouldn't do the same thing is either lying or has never had the chance to make more money for doing the same thing. When I switched jobs two years ago, I was willing to take a demotion to get into an area I really wanted. It didn't work, so I went outside and got a 20% raise in the process.

I just hope that the players are up to the pressure of going from a "million dollar" guy to a "five million dollar" guy. They are the same player, get rewarded with a deal based on their level of play, and suddenly fans expect them to play 50% better because they got more money.

It's silly really.

 

[Eddie_Shack]

A second class Kesler from a second class state... ;-)

 

[forty_three]

A second class Kesler from a second class state... ;-)

I agree, Pennsylvania sucks. Glad he lives somewhere awesome now. And for at least the next five years.