PK Subban isn’t eligible for restricted free agency until next summer, but Canadiens general manager Marc Bergevin would like to get his young Norris Trophy-winning defenseman signed to a contract extension well before then.
“I would like to get something done,” Bergevin told reporters today at the club’s season-opening golf tournament, per TSN. “It takes two to tango.”
Whether Subban is ready to do the negotiation dance with the Habs isn’t clear; he reportedly didn’t want to talk about his contract today. The 24-year-old is halfway through a two-year, $5.75 million “bridge” contract with Montreal -- one that wasn’t agreed upon until late January, when the 2013 season had already begun.
In terms of cap hit, the highest paid d-man in the NHL is Nashville’s Shea Weber ($7.86 million), just ahead of Minnesota’s Ryan Suter ($7.54 million). With the salary cap expected to rise in the coming years, Subban’s salary expectations should certainly be in the neighborhood of the league leaders.