In the end, P.K. Subban's contract averaged out to one million dollars more per season than he was offered prior to his arbitration hearing with the Montreal Canadiens. It was all business until it got personal.
You want to debate that?
Debate this psychoanalysis Elliotte Friedman penned in the late afternoon of a very unpleasant business day for the Habs and their star defenseman.
Both parties left the arbitration hearing visibly discontent. Subban all but guaranteed a third party would decide his salary for the following season, Don Meehan told reporters no further negotiations were planned, and Marc Bergevin stonewalled the press on his way out of the building.
And you have to ask yourself, why would the Canadiens go through all of this with Subban?
Did Molson and Bergevin believe that Subban would be so humbled by the process that he'd finally agree to a deal that was significantly under his value? Were they hoping the very possibility of going through with the arbitration hearing would be enough to have him cave and accept their offer? Doesn't that all seem like a gross underestimation of Meehan's resolve?
Two years ago, Subban was angling for a five-year deal at five million dollars per season. He had no right to arbitration. He was coming off an entry-level contract that paid him less than one million dollars per season, and he didn't have a leg to stand on in his negotiations with Marc Bergevin. They were both trying to set a precedent under the new collective bargaining agreement, and in the end, after a holdout that lasted through training camp and six games of a shortened season, Subban caved because he had to.
On Saturday, with the clock ticking towards the arbiter's ruling, with no negotiating to be done, Bergevin was faced with two options: Give Subban the offer he would've signed on Friday, or trade him.
It was personal for Subban two years ago. He had his name dragged through the mud, and he had a burr in his saddle over not being trusted to be signed to a deal both parties knew would save the Canadiens money in the long run.
It's not always bad when things are taken personally. Subban was always motivated, but that process galvanized his motivation and brought him to the next level. That motivation took him to being the highest scoring defenseman in the league over those two seasons combined; took him to a Norris Trophy in year one; took him to a whole other level in this year's playoffs.
Hard to imagine it's not personal for Marc Bergevin too. He was lambasted on Friday by many, including yours truly. And Subban's conference call--much of it in a tone of utter relief--was almost like a victory speech.
Bergevin's cookie-cutter statement in a press release ("We are very pleased to have reached a long term agreement with P.K. Subban. This agreement helps consolidate the future of our team. A key element of our group of young veterans, P.K. plays with a high level of intensity every time he steps onto the ice. Despite his young age, he carries a great deal of experience and brings contagious energy to the team. Defensemen of his level are a rare commodity in the NHL") pales in comparison to the family moment Molson, Bergevin and Subban could've shared, avoiding arbitration and embracing their future together in front of reporters gathered in Toronto.
Wounds heal. In this case, they heal in part because though Bergevin didn't get Subban at the number he'd hoped he could, he got him at a number that still saves the Canadiens money in this hockey world of escalating revenue, cap dollars and ever-improving players.
My parents' generation--having watched the greatest icons this game's ever produced--can't stomach the suggestion that a 72-million dollar contract for a player can be called a discount, but my contemporaries who follow the business of hockey with as much interest as they have in the actual game understand that any superstar forgoing the opportunity of unrestricted free agency is leaving money on the table. And it's commitments like the one the Habs finally made to Subban that ensure no true superstars get to unrestricted free agency.
The Habs and Subban traveled the most arduous path towards an agreement two years ago, and they did the same this time around. And though it got personal, the best business decision was made in both instances. You can't argue with the value Montreal obtained in the two years Subban averaged $2.875M, and you can't bemoan a new contract that hopefully keeps him in place for the next eight years; signed to a figure on the cap that's less than what it would be had he gone to unrestricted free agency in two years.
Instead of a one-year award from a third party, lingering bitterness on both sides of the fence, an unhealthy distraction looming overhead like an ominous rain cloud on a sunny day, a whole bunch of trade speculation, and the unnerving thought of imagining Subban being someone else's top flight defenseman; someone else's key marketing cog,
Molson reached deeper into his pockets. Pretty easy decision when you really think about it.
And the sweetest result of all of this:
"It sends a strong message to me that they want me here and they appreciate everything that I’ve done to this point and they believe in me as a player. I think I’ve always believed that, but obviously, in this process, coming out with this result now, everybody else understands it and can see it as well and doesn’t have to speculate about how the Montreal Canadiens feel about me."
Now slap the "C" on him.
Montreal Canadiens Blogger • 
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