Tarasenko

[JagrBomb]

he'll get a 5 year offer sheet which will allow him to get another massive payday just after he is UFA eligible. st.louis will obviously match it though.

[Pengwin7]

I don't think this is a big issue, it's like in Ottawa with Karlsson - Ryan makes more than him now on his new deal.

They actually make virtually same pay over next 3 years... and I don't think this was an accident the way these numbers match up.
Ryan: 7.00/7.25/7.50
Karlsson: 7.00/7.00/7.50
Bobby Ryan is also 28yrs old, Karlsson 25yrs old.
And I can't recall... but wouldn't Ryan have been due to be a UFA this summer??? (If so, obviously he could cash in more than a RFA, Karlsson:2012)
Sportsnet lists Ryan would've been UFA for this summer, October 2014 article

For St.Louis,
AP is 25 years old... Tank is 23 years old.
AP is set to earn 6.50/7.00/7.00
So I think Tank will get less than that.

As contracts are public knowledge, it'll leak into a lockerroom about who gets paid the most on the team.
Hockey players are humble guys... but among any group of employees... there's a feeling somebody gets when somebody young (and maybe not as valuable) is getting more actual dollars.
It can eat at some people a bit.
GMs understand this dynamic.
When Ry-Jo got his 3yr x $12m deal... CBJ structured it as $3m/$3m/$6m.
This structure made Ry-Jo less than Duby/Hartnell/Johnson/Bob for Years 1 & 2...
but did (at the time) set Ry-Jo up to be the highest paid skater for his year #3 at $6m.
Sort of... tell him... we can't make you the highest paid skater now... but we think you will be that guy very soon and we'll set you up to be paid as our top skater.