• Moderators, please send me a PM if you are unable to access mod permissions. Thanks, Habsy.

Updates and Rumours from around the League

I really hope that they don't.

I hope he gets a 1 yr arby award of like 7.5 and they do this all over again next year.
 
I'll give anyone here 2 to 1 odds on a bet of up to $100 that Subban will be a Hab (or at least sign a deal that makes him a Hab) beyond 2015-16.

Obviously he could sign a longer deal and end up traded... but he will not be a UFA come July of 2016.
 
It is pretty obvious that subban wants a two year deal and nothing else. He is too classy to demand a trade but he will be signing with the leafs once he is UFA.
 
Well yeah, they would be complete morons to not sign him to a long term deal in the next 12 hours or so. Its a no brainier. Thats why its so shocking they have even reached this point. Hasn't been handled particularly well.
 
LeafGm said:
When Weber was in the same situation as PK (coming off his "bridge deal"), he and the Preds actually ended up going through arbitration.

The end result of that was that Weber was awarded a one-year deal worth more than $7M per season, and then the next summer once he became an RFA again, he visited with about six different teams before signing an offer sheet with Philadelphia.


Can't really say I agree. It's almost unheard of for a player in this day and age to suffer a career-ending injury at PK's age. As for his stock falling, if there's one thing PK doesn't lack, it's confidence. So I doubt that the worry of his play falling of dramatically plays too much into his thinking.

If that's the Habs' "leverage" in this situation, I don't think it counts for a whole helluva lot.
Click to expand...

Ya. Saw that in the Friedman article.
 
Habspatrol said:
I'll give anyone here 2 to 1 odds on a bet of up to $100 that Subban will be a Hab (or at least sign a deal that makes him a Hab) beyond 2015-16.

Obviously he could sign a longer deal and end up traded... but he will not be a UFA come July of 2016.
Click to expand...

500 to 1 and you have a deal
 
Habspatrol said:
Again I never said they have a lot, in fact I conceded that it was definitely not a lot. However, there's no denying that it's in PK's best interest to sign a long term deal now. And any time a player is still RFA for a couple more year the team does have at least some leverage. Chicago had almost none. They were a year away from the players being able to just walk away. The Habs have 2 years of PK whether he likes it or not. And they can trade him in that time if the worst happens.

I don't think the Habs have any delusions of signing PK for under $7.5m or $8m a year. In fact I'm sure they expect to have to pay more than 8... but they have to try to get the best deal they can. That's every GM's job. Conversely I don't think PK and his agent expect $12m a year... but they have to try to maximize their money too.

You can't compare every negotiation. Sure some deals get signed earlier... but maybe those teams/players were a lot closer at their starting points. Maybe Chicago was offering $9.5 a year and Kane and Toews were apparently asking for $12m. So both sides felt comfortable with a compromise of $10.5.
Click to expand...
I dunno, I'd deny it. I think it's unquestionable that it's in the best interest of the Habs to sign him long-term right now, because the closer PK gets to unrestricted free agency, the more he's going to cost and the greater the chance of him leaving becomes.

From PK's perspective though, no matter what, he's going to make a minimum of 14-16 million over the next two seasons. And if he waits until the summer of 2016 to sign a long term deal, by that point, he's likely going to be getting a contract that will pay him in excess of 10 million dollars annually, because the salary cap's going to keep going up, and other star players are going to be following in the footsteps of Toews and Kane by signing long-term deals that'll edge closer and closer to the cap on individual player contracts.

The only way there's any sense of urgency on PK's part is if, as you mentioned, he's worried about a career ending injury in the next two years, or a serious decline in his play. But I seriously doubt that plays into his thinking much, if at all.
 
LeafGm said:
I dunno, I'd deny it. I think it's unquestionable that it's in the best interest of the Habs to sign him long-term right now, because the closer PK gets to unrestricted free agency, the more he's going to cost and the greater the chance of him leaving becomes.

From PK's perspective though, no matter what, he's going to make a minimum of 14-16 million over the next two seasons. And if he waits until the summer of 2016 to sign a long term deal, by that point, he's likely going to be getting a contract that will pay him in excess of 10 million dollars annually, because the salary cap's going to keep going up, and other star players are going to be following in the footsteps of Toews and Kane by signing long-term deals that'll edge closer and closer to the cap on individual player contracts.

The only way there's any sense of urgency on PK's part is if, as you mentioned, he's worried about a career ending injury in the next two years, or a serious decline in his play. But I seriously doubt that plays into his thinking much, if at all.
Click to expand...

There's a reason the players fought tooth and nail to be able to sign as long a deal as possible. They want to sign long term and it's in their best interest to do so. No doubt it's also in the Habs best interest... but it's definitely in PK's best interest.
 
MindzEye said:
Being an organization that makes your stud and his agent sweat strikes me as by far the biggest precedent you're setting though, and it's not a good one.
Click to expand...

You don't think that setting the tone for future negotiations is favourable for the team? I'm not talking about just Subban here - but for all future contracts. The team is effectively telling the players and agents that if they want to flex their muscles in arbitration, that they will take them to the final minutes. Hopeful net effect - more productive talks pre-arbitration.
 
"Take them to the final minutes" isn't a thing here. All delaying another year would do is open the habs to more risk of subban's price going up again. It's an unloaded gun.
 
BG said:
You don't think that setting the tone for future negotiations is favourable for the team?
Click to expand...

Not when the tone is negative, no.

I'm not talking about just Subban here - but for all future contracts.
Click to expand...

That's the problem. You don't treat Subban like others.

The team is effectively telling the players and agents that if they want to flex their muscles in arbitration, that they will take them to the final minutes. Hopeful net effect - more productive talks pre-arbitration.
Click to expand...

More likely to damage the relationship than anything else. You do this stuff with the replaceable 3rd line winger, not with the norris calibre defender than you can't replace.
 
You have to be careful. There is a difference between being a tough negotiator and a jerk that no one wants to deal with. Who wants a Scott Boras running their team?

You want PK to love being in Montreal and want to stay there forever. At the end of the day there is just no reason not to be fair with your cornerstone players.
 
MindzEye said:
Not when the tone is negative, no.
Click to expand...
If it goes to arbitration it's likely to get negative but for now the only thing that's negative is the media and fan narrative.

Subban was just on TSN radio and couldn't say enough about how professional and respectful the Habs have been during these negotiations. And Bergevin has said the same of PK's side.

That's the problem. You don't treat Subban like others.
Click to expand...

Insert racial joke here

More likely to damage the relationship than anything else. You do this stuff with the replaceable 3rd line winger, not with the norris calibre defender than you can't replace.
Click to expand...

Insert my first point here.
 
That's the problem. You don't treat Subban like others
Click to expand...

This. Montreal essentially has the new face of the NHL in their grasp right now. A charasmatic star who can bring popularity of the game to new levels.

Its a great thing for the organization to have that type of guy on their roster.
 
leafman101 said:
You have to be careful. There is a difference between being a tough negotiator and a jerk that no one wants to deal with. Who wants a Scott Boras running their team?

You want PK to love being in Montreal and want to stay there forever. At the end of the day there is just no reason not to be fair with your cornerstone players.
Click to expand...

He grew up a Habs fan, loves the city and the team. I don't think that is an issue.
 
Artnes said:
This. Montreal essentially has the new face of the NHL in their grasp right now. A charasmatic star who can bring popularity of the game to new levels.

Its a great thing for the organization to have that type of guy on their roster.
Click to expand...

Stealing this for the Habs board.

There's a guy over there arguing that PK isn't even the face of the Habs.
 
Great. So why create animosity for nothing? They literally have nothing to gain. Its not like they will get a bargain deal by playing hardball. He'll get what he wants to get either way.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top