I feel the same about him. I think he got in WAY over his head with that signing with the Rangers. I really think that his agent said "here, sign this. NY is the best place for you, you'll be a star, this is how the NHL is" and he signed the contract.
I don't hate the guy. I don't really want him back, either. It's a business. He did what was right for him. Now, if Lou offered him the same contract and he told Lou that New York is the best and that he hates the Devils, ok, then I see. I don't think he's a bad guy. Driver left for the Rangers, MacLean went there the second his contract ran out in SJ. Holik went there. It happens. None of them had any success there, anyway.
For perspective's sake, if any of us worked at Bob's Hardware Store for 55,000 a year, and John's Hardware Store offered us 105,000 a year guaranteed for the same job, and you told Bob and he told you "I'm not paying that", 99% of us would enjoy our drive to John's in our new car.
Glen Sather, the least creative GM in the NHL who still thinks signing good players to superstar contracts will lead to superstar performance, basically told him, "The Devils aren't using you right, here you could put up 100 points," and pretty much everyone over there, right down to the fans, bought into it. No one had any concrete plan why that would be the case of course, and when Gomez basically put up, well, Gomez numbers, Sather and the rest of the Ranger faithful were actually surprised.
That being said, his contract was more money than a guy like Gomez ever should've expected to get (and if not for 2005-06, he probably wouldn't have gotten that much), and signing it is the easiest part...the press conferences, the schmoozefests...these guys don't realize what they're in for until they actually have to start earning the money, and are expected to play at a level much higher than what is realistic.
