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Thank you to @canadiensmtl for making a commitment to myself and my family. Im Excited about the future! #letsgetit
— P.K. Subban (@PKSubban1) August 2, 2014
In the end, PK Subban will get his eight year, $72 million contract from the Montreal Canadiens. Thats $9 shmillion per season. Subban will be worth every penny of it.
PK Subban contract breakdown: 2014-15 $7M, 15-16 $7M, 16-17 $11M, 17-18 $11M, 18-19 $10M , 19-20 $10M, 20-21 $8M, 21-22 $8M. #tvasports
— Renaud Lavoie (@renlavoietva) August 2, 2014
Time for Mongtreal sew a "C" on his sweater, too. Their former captain Brian Gionta will become Buffalo's next captain this season.
The arbitrator had until Sunday afternoon or 48 hours from the end of the Friday arbitration hearing to render a verdict on Subban's contract.
One gets the feeling that the Habs knew that the arbitrator would be handing Subban an arb ruling north of $8 million so they opted to save face, rather than be made to look even worse to their fans than they do right now in the court of public opinion.
Canadiens agree to terms on an 8-year contract with defenseman @PKSubban1. DETAILS -> http://t.co/sNORuYhULh
— Canadiens Montréal (@CanadiensMTL) August 2, 2014
So, why didn't Marc Bergevin and the Canadiens make this offer to #76 before the Friday 9:00 arbitration hearing?
“We are very pleased to have reached a long term agreement with P.K. Subban,… general manager Marc Bergevin said in a statement. “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. Defencemen of his level are a rare commodity in the NHL.…
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That escalated quickly.
P.K. Subban and his agents met behind closed doors with Montreal Canadiens GM Marc Bergevin and the arbitrator on Friday morning. The meeting lasted four hours. The Habs brought their best offer to the table. Subban blocked it like a he would a Steven Stamkos one-timer from just above the right faceoff dot.
Silly Bergevin. What was he thinking? Where was the 8 year, $72 million max-out deal? He must have left that in his Toronto hotel suite.
The Subban contract has been a front burner issue for Bergevin and #76’s agents for months. Both sides have served and vollied for the better part of the past ten months in an effort to get the player signed, sealed and delivered to a long term lucrative contract. There were supposed to be fist bumps and happiness in the room on Friday afternoon. There was supposed to be a sigh of relief and a signed contract. Bergevin could have ended the arbitration hearing before it even started, had he brought his best offer to the table beforehand. Now, its out of Bergevin’s hands. The puck flopped off his stick and jumped onto the stick of the arbitrator. This isn’t going to end well for the Habs.
In the end, this game of “chicken… get real, and Subban made Bergevin and the Habs blink first.
Now what?
After the disappointing meeting, Subban headed back to his Toronto area home to continue his offseason workout routine. He’s a top-end player and a team leader. He’s putting in the work this summer as he always does. It shows on the ice and in the Habs’ room. That’s what great players do. They block out distractions and adversity and rise above it all. Subban had the hammer in the negotiations, he used it deftly and appropriately. He wasn’t setting for a one year $5.25 million deal. He wanted $8.5 million per year on a mult-year deal. In the end, he’ll get what he wants. The arbitrator will see to it that he does.
Thanks, Sportsnet
As for Bergevin, he was not in a great mood as he left the building on Friday afternoon. “I’ve got nothing to say guys, so don’t ask me,… he told reporters as skulked off.
Suffice to say, Subban will get paid. He will get what he’s looking for in terms of dollars. I’m thinking that the arbitrator will award him a $7.5 million contract. See Shea Weber. Tough thing for Bergevin is that if it’s a one-year deal, he’ll have to qualify Subban at that very same number next July. Beregvin knows this.
Beyond the financial ramifications of this deal, one wonders about the acrimony that has crept into the Subban-Bergevin relationship in the past two years. First, there was the bridge contract that Bergevin signed Subban. The player wanted a long term deal then, and Bergevin said “No way…. Earn it first, kid…. Subban rose above it all, shut his mouth, opened his mind and did just that. He’s now 25 years old. He has a Norris Trophy in his awards cabinet. He has earned an Olympic gold medal. He has led his team to the Eastern Conference Finals. Subban did his part in the process. Bergevin hasn’t reciprocated. The arbitrator will take all of this into account when deciding on Subban’s award amount in the next day. Subban may well be at his point of no return with the Habs after all of this drama with his contacts the past two years. It appears to me that the Habs are in “like… with Subban, however, they are not in “love… with Subban. In other words, they want to date but they don’t want to marry Subban. Pennywise. Pound foolish. I bet you that Brendan Shanahan and the Toronto Maple Leafs are watching Subban’s contract strife with eager anticipation. Imagine if Subban ends up in a Leafs sweater as a UFA in two years, just as his prime years of his career will be commencing.
The incomparable Subban scored 10 goals and added 43 assists in 82 regular-season games last season. He was Montreal's best player in the playoffs, scoring 14 points in 17 games. Its possible that he will be an RFA again next summer if he and the Canadiens can't agree to a long-term deal before then. Bergevin may well end up back in the arbitrators hearing room with Subban next July. That would be awkward to say the least.
Is Subban still open to the idea of letting bygones be bygones and signing a long term deal to stay in Montreal?
"I think that's kind of a discussion for a later date. It's not a discussion for today, obviously."
That doesn't sound like an emphatic "Yes" to me.
My take:
If I'm Subban, I take the highest road possible. I play out the arb awarded contract, then I set my sights on finding a new NHL team to play with. One with a head coach who encourages my creativity and demands that I play with passion. Not one that tries to dummy down my game. Subban plays. He doesn't read the sheet music and play it note for note. My next team's GM will support me, not try to suppress. Pay me.
#FreePK