As elite prospects secure massive deals, the blue liner shifts focus from the pocketbook to the Cup, emphasizing team culture over the looming financial frenzy on Long Island.
Since Leo Carlsson and Connor Bedard have signed their extensions, there's been a ton of talk as to what New York Islanders' No. 1 defenseman Matthew Schaefer will command.
On Monday, at the 12th annual Smilezone Foundation Celebrity Golf Tournament, my NHL.com colleague Dave McCarthy asked the 18-year-old blue liner what he thought about those deals:
“I’ll let my agent think about that. I don’t need to think about that. I’m still a kid. I’m still a year away from any of that. I love Long Island. We have something so special going on there. I don’t care about the money. I just want to play the game of hockey and that’s what I love. If you’re just playing hockey and having fun, that’s all that matters honestly and being with the right people, the right coaches, the right management. At the end of the day, it’s family and we want to create something super special on Long Island and we want to win the Stanley Cup. You just want to win a Cup and go as far as you can with the team.”
This is who Schaefer is. Nobody should be shocked by the answer.
No one judges Carlsson for signing the Philadelphia Flyers' offer sheet -- that's the reason he's making $18 million annually. So, if Bedard had asked for that number or slighlty more, I'm sure the Blackhawks were ready to have to write it out.
However, Bedard didn't, citing that his annual $15 million was a lot of money and that he wants to win.
Clearly, Schaefer is thinking the same way. He doesn't care about the money. He wants to win.
And if you are an Islanders fan, you should be really excited about the quote above, but not shocked.
