Lots of fans are stressed to the max over the contract negotiations between the Montreal Canadiens and P.K. Subban, although there’s not much to stress out about. As soon as Subban filed for arbitration, the possibility of an offer sheet was gone, and it put an end date to the negotiations.
No matter what, Subban is going to be a Hab for a long time, and this just forces the issue. Subban’s arbitration hearing is set for August 1st, meaning we have 21 days to to talk about what kind of money he could get. It’s likely we’ll have a bit less than that because the Canadiens definitely do not want to go to arbitration with Subban, they want a long term deal.
What isn’t talked about as often is that Lars Eller also has an arbitration hearing coming up, and unlike Subban, I wouldn’t be surprised at all if he ended up going that route. Eller is a very promising player who’s value has been hindered by the minutes he plays, and who he plays them with, but he showed what he can do in the playoffs. It’s possible that he and his agent feel they can make a lot more in arbitration than in traditional negotiations.
Eller’s hearing is also sooner than Subban’s set for July 25th, meaning Bergevin has just over two weeks to get that contract done.
