Stupid money season begins as Gaustad cashes in with.....

[SabreEleven]

Predators -- four years, $13 million
Sunday at noon, of course, is the opening of the NHL's stupid season -- otherwise known as unrestricted free agency. We'll have full coverage of UFA Day here on ye olde blog but teams are, of course, free to try to keep their own until everyone can start talking.
The Nashville Predators did just that Saturday night by re-signing old friend Paul Gaustad (http://www.cbssports.com/nhl/blog/eye-on-hockey/19454401/report-paul-gaustad-signs-four-year-13-million-deal-in-nashville), whom the Sabres cashed in at the trade deadline for a first-round draft pick that they eventually turned into Zemgus Girgensons last week in Pittsburgh.
So what did Gaustad, he of one career playoff goal in 48 playoff games (http://www.hockey-reference.com/players/g/gaustpa01.html) and no response to Milan Lucic, get from the team he finished the season with?
How about a big raise? How about $13 million dollars over four years (http://www.tennessean.com/article/20120630/SPORTS/306300056/Preds-Gaustad-agree-four-year-13-million-deal?odyssey=tab%7Ctopnews%7Ctext%7CSports&gcheck=1&nclick_check=1) -- or $3.25M per? Good lord.

http://blogs.buffalonews.com/sabres/2012/06/stupid-money-season-begins-as-gaustad-cashes-in-with-predators-four-years-13-million.html

Thank god it wasn't us giving him this money...They are that far under the cap?

[clumping platelets]

Part of this is cap related. Preds are losing Suter and will struggle to get to the minimum

[Skooby]

Part of this is cap related. Preds are losing Suter and will struggle to get to the minimum

Goose hit the lottery there.

[clumping platelets]

True that............Preds were like $35 million under the cap of $70.2 million. They need to spend $15-20 million just to reach the cap floor of $54 million

[Meathead]

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[SabreEleven]

Why don't they go after Parise if they have that much cap?