Shane O’Brien is Back!

Shane O’Brien is Back!

On July 6th, Shane O’Brien signed a one year contract extension with the Vancouver Canucks, and while it’s no surprise that both sides came to an agreement, what is surprising is the hefty raise he will receive in the coming year. He goes from making $1.025 million to $1.6, which is a very healthy salary for a sixth defenseman who plays 14:55 minutes per night. If you’re wondering how this deal happened, the answer is below! We caught the negotiation between Mike Gillis and O’Brien’s agent, Larry Kelly, on our hidden Head To The Net microphone:

Receptionist: Mr. Gillis, Shane O’Brien’s agent is here to see you.

Mike Gillis: Yes, I was expecting him. Send him in, please.

Larry Kelly: Hi Mike, thanks for agreeing to meet.

MG: Who are you? Where’s J.P. Barry?

LK: J.P. doesn’t represent Shane, I do. My name is Larry Kelly.

MG: What? I thought J.P. represented everyone in the NHL now. This is the first time I’m negotiating with anyone other than him!

LK: Ok…

MG: Anyways, so why should I resign Shane? Is he Swedish?

LK: No… he’s not Swedish, he’s Canadian. Why?

MG: I only want Swedes! You know what they say: “The Germans know how to make cars, the English do fish and chips, and the Swedes make hockey players”

LK: They say that? Who says that?

MG: I don’t know, I think it’s the Red Wings’ slogan. Anything the Red Wings do is good enough for me! Did Shane ever play for them? Because I’m looking for more ex-Red Wings.

LK: Uh… no, he didn’t. But you know, O’Brien is an Irish name. He’s pretty much European.

MG: European eh? Sweden is in Europe, so that’s a good selling point. Now, what kind of salary are we talking about?

LK: Well here’s what I’m thinking: Ovechkin scored 56 goals this year and earns $9.53 million per year. That’s about $180,000 per goal. I figure a penalty minute should be worth just less than half a goal. Shane had 196 penalty minutes, so at $80,000 each, that’s about $1.6 million dollars.

MG: Wow, sounds like you’ve done your homework. I can’t argue with your math, since my numbers guy, Laurence Gillman, isn’t around to help me. But you’ve obviously thought this through, so I agree.

LK: You do?!?! I mean, yes, I’ve thought it through. So we have a deal then? For how many years?

MG: Uh… numbers guy isn’t here… how about one? Great! I’ll see you later! Good to have another European on the team! Nice working with you J.P.!

LK: Uh… yeah, you too Mike. See you later.