7 years, $50 million!!

The Oilers offered Thomas Vanek a 7 year, $50 million contract and thankfully the Sabres signed Vanek in a matter of minutes. While it is much too much money for Thomas Vanek, it is much better to have him on the team for 7 years than to not have him, even though compensation would be four first round draft picks. Maybe if compensation was higher, it would prevent teams from offering ridiculous contracts, allowing teams to keep restricted free agents without ruining their salary cap. I think Vanek is the type of player who could end up having his number retired in Buffalo.