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Subban Negotiation Lingers. Doan Here? Not-so-Great Expectations... |
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Things are so quiet around the Montreal Canadiens, you can hear the pins in Andrei Markov's knee drop.
The Subban negotiation festers like a bad fart in an airplane. Everyone's waiting for the air to clear so they can move on to whatever else the Canadiens will get up to between now and training camp.
And whatever else, in this case, is strictly related to the options a new CBA might provide for teams to rid themselves of handicapping contracts. And of course, fans are slightly concerned with the prospect of Brian Gionta and Rene Bourque filling out the top six once again.
Shane Doan is bound to make a decision on his future soon enough. Were he to move from Phoenix, he'd certainly want some time to have his family set up their new home and get adjusted. Scant chance the Doans will be making those arrangements for Montreal, but the possibility's yet to be stricken, as Doan is apparently in town to meet with the Canadiens.
Great timing for the weather to act up...
Getting back to Subban, no one seems to have a lock on the situation. We know that Subban's camp is pursuing a long-term commitment from the Canadiens, and we can only assume that the delay here has to be centered on the Canadiens willingness (or unwillingness) to commit big dollars over several years to a players that's yet to reach his potential; one they have locked into restricted free agency for at least four more seasons (new CBA could push unrestricted eligibility back a couple of years).
Though Marc Bergevin assured me and several other reporters that the impending CBA negotiations would have no effect on his contract dealings--particularly with Subban and Price, Subban's case is a peculiar one.
You get the feeling this won't necessarily be settled so soon, with the possibility of capped years on contracts and an age push-back for unrestricted free agency looming.
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Brandon Prust, Colby Armstrong, Francis Bouillon, a healthy Travis Moen-- these guys are all going to help inject a physical edge to the Canadiens they were so desperately missing last season.
In the meantime, they're all players of character, and I don't think Bergevin's pursuit of the first three is purely related to his own style. These moves are calculated, and will help the Canadiens deal greatly with such lowered expectations.
I polled my twitter following on where they felt the Canadiens would finish in the East next season, and no more than four of 30 respondents placed them in the playoffs.
Character will play a big role in uniting the room against their critics. They have so much to prove, and it's almost a blessing for them that there hasn't been dramatic turnover in their room. Everyone hopes for a second chance, and this group, to a man, believes they're much better than they showed last season.
I think it's a much harder bet to place this group in the playoffs of an Eastern Conference that has great competitors in it, but I'd be reluctant to put my chips down on them missing.
Anyways... plenty of time for predictions. We're not there yet. Time to clear the air, and see what else shakes out with this team in the off-season.
Montreal Canadiens Blogger • 
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