Sportsnet: Elliotte Friedman and Jeff Marek on 32 Thoughts: The Podcast – The Leafs wanted both Zadorov and Tanev episode, on the San Jose Sharks defenseman Marc-Edouard Vlasic.
** NHLRumors.com transcription
Marek: “You know, on Saturday, Ron mentioned the name Marc-Edouard Vlasic as well. He’s got a pretty big price tag. We said that about Erik Karlson as well.
Now I know they’re profoundly different players, but …”
Friedman: “Yeah, can’t compare them.”
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Marek: “Ya can’t but you know, this year and two more $7 million. I mean, that’s, that’s a lot for the 36-year-old blueliner, but nonetheless, Marc-Edouard Vlasic?”
Friedman: “Well, the thing I’ll say this about Vlasic. Like Karlson, yeah, he had a big ticket but he was also coming off a 100-point season and won the Norris trophy. I don’t think you can compare them.
Like, Vlasic was one of the most interesting guys I dealt with. I always used to love like, the one time of year, I really, San Jose came east because Vlasic was a goldmine for quotes. Like an absolute goldmine.
I remember when, when he played on that 2014 Olympic team that won a gold medal, I remember the year before, like people started to tell me to get to know Vlasic a lot better because he’s going to be on that team. And, and you know, and I remember he would come through Toronto, and I would go up to him and I would say Marc, can I talk to you a minute and he’d smile and say it’s about time you Eastern guys started to recognize me.
And it was really different than what you’re used to in the NHL. He was basically saying, ‘Worship Me, worship me,’ and he was a great quote. He clearly felt that he was being disrespected and not getting the level of recognition that he deserved. And I really love dealing with them for it because like I said, he was a gold mine.
Somewhere along the way and he’s getting benched a lot, Jeff.”
Marek: “Yeah, he didn’t play Sunday against Rangers too.”
Friedman: “I’ll tell you what the word is on him, he’s lost that. For a long time he was a guy who was, chip on the shoulder, nobody knows who I am, I don’t get the respect I deserve and I’m a hell of a player and he was. Like he was an important player on good San Jose teams and championship team Canada teams.
For whatever reason. I don’t know what it is. He’s not the same guy anymore. And I think one of the reasons that San Jose benches him is because that fire, it’s been quenched. And when you’re having a year like this, like you are and you’re turning over your team, you just you can’t have that. You can’t show your players that if you feel a player isn’t competing to the level they can, especially around young players, you can’t let that happen.
So I think the biggest challenge, like I have no doubt they want to move a guy like Vlasic. They’re not scratching a guy as much as they are because they’re happy with them. But Jeff, like, the thing is, because you said this year in two more it’s S7 million and there’s some signing bonuses there too.
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You know, the thing is, is he gonna be able to prove to a team, that he’s 75% of what he was, or 65% of what he was because unfortunately, the book on him is that his his grind factor, his determination factor, it’s not there.
Marek: “That would have to involve some retention. If you, if you get anything with Marc-Edouard Vlasic.
