NHL Owners Continue Their Gatsby-Like Spending Spree; Wayne Simmonds Gets 6 Years, $24 Million

With the clock ticking down and all the mice gleefully dancing on the hour hand like they’re Gatsby’s party guests who can’t see the Great Depression coming, NHL owners continue to throw money at a problem that was caused by money.

Again, on Wednesday night, another lengthy and expensive contract was handed out. This time? Wayne Simmonds, re-signed by the Philadelphia Flyers for six years and (approximately) $4 million per.

Simmonds is probably a great guy, and he’s a character player with enough scoring touch to make it worth Philly’s while. The only problem is, he’s a cog in their roster. He’s a bit player getting paid double most first liners. Alex Burrows? He’s wrapping up a $2 million/season contract and he’s pumping in 30 per.

Now, Wayne did pot a career-high 28 last year, but $4 million for that long, while the NHL’s financial world is about to come crashing down? This sounds like Baz Luhrmann’s next movie, no doubt.