That's exactly what he should do but not for $10MM. Why be so generous?
Everything has blown up in their faces and, if not for the local media, he would have been laughed out of town already. I worry Dubas lacks the fangs to get firm in these types of negotiations. He might be too reasonable. It's hard to say but this is the second one that's dragged on too long.
i think dubas' entire thing is establishing himself as fair, reasonable, and consistent.
he isnt scared of his evaluations of RFA being higher than many others', and doesnt want to be a guy that will try to put the screws to a player and pay him less than his evaluations say he's worth.
this is already paying off in the short run, and will pay off even more in the long run imo, especially when it comes time to re-signing these guys as UFA.
its all about building trust and establishing yoirself as a fair and consistent dealer - right now Ferris might not actually believe dubas actually believes the numbers he's showing him that say marner is just not on matthews' level, but as long as dubas stays consistent in his evaluations with all his players and their agents, the less of this bargaining gamesmanship garbage we'll see.