Tyler Myers is big, Brandon Tanev plays big and their pay hikes were too big for the Winnipeg Jets.
Both are now former members of the team after agreeing to multimillion-dollar, multi-year contracts elsewhere as the NHL free-agent signing period began with a flurry Monday.
Myers signed with the Vancouver Canucks for US$6 million annually for five years, while Tanev agreed to a six-year deal with the Pittsburgh Penguins, with an annual average value of US$3.5 million.
The Jets had plenty of opportunity to negotiate new deals with the pair of unrestricted free agents, but those dollars were well beyond the tolerance level of the cap-strapped team.