The poison pill is the bonuses attached to each year of the contract. And Weber misses the 40YO cutoff in the last year of the contract.
*Sigh*
Damned if you do, damned if you don't. If he stays, he's going to be miserable and demanding a trade ala Dwight Howard from about the moment he sets foot on the ice next year; if he goes, the Preds are in a deep hole for most of the season and Pekka is going to wonder what the hell he was thinking in signing long-term. And those four first rounders aren't gonna be the same as the Flyers last four first rounders, that you can pretty much guarantee.
If we match and sign, we're gonna be on the hook for his contract for a LONG time - no other team in the NHL is gonna want to trade for him without having the Preds shoulder some of the cost, especially if the new CBA basically turns it into a fustercluck. And the contract is basically un-insurable - and Shea's had issues staying healthy in the past.
If we let him go, we might as well run a white flag up the pole outside the front entrance of the Bridgestone Arena. Maybe we compete for the 8AFPOS; maybe we fight with Columbus for the Western Conference cellar. This team will likely be a lottery pick - which won't help much, even with the extra 1st rounder we'd get from Philly. And, if this team starts tanking, the fans aren't gonna be coming through the turnstiles. Which will lead to financial issues, which will lead to another round of a move to Quebec City or Hamilton or Saskatoon or wherever. And this time, we might not be able to keep their damn hands off our hockey team.
I HATE being the fan of a non-traditional market hockey club. No one north of the 48th parallel wants to see you last long enough to become a "traditional" hockey market.