Remember that burst of optimism that came from Ryan Johansen’s agent passing along word that some big progress had been made in negotiations with the Columbus Blue Jackets?
Well, it turns out that the two sides essentially put things on pause. While that previously reported talk of Johansen’s camp compromising on a “bridge” contract is a good thing - he originally wanted a deal that covered him until he could become an unrestricted free agent - the Columbus Dispatch’s Aaron Portzline reports that money is a big holdup.
Actually, Portzline puts it all in such a fun way that it might even distract Blue Jackets from being bummed out about the situation for at least a moment:
Asked this weekend if they were still far apart, one of the interested parties responded via text: “Hectares.”
For those metric users, that’s 10,000 square meters. For non-metric users, that’s 2.47 acres. For those non-math types, that’s a big ol’ gap.
Here’s a challenge for your Sunday: incorporate that unit of measurement into conversation as much as possible.
“It feels like the regular season is hectares away right now.”
“Mowing the lawn would be easier if I didn’t have to cut hectares of grass.”
All measurement silliness aside, it’s easy to see why this is a tough negotiating situation between the team and their budding 22-year-old star. The 2013-14 season represented such a gigantic leap in production that it’s difficult to tell if he’s just scratching the surface of his potential or if he was playing a little over his head.
As an RFA, Johansen’s options are limited, but the Blue Jackets might also want to walk the line between driving a hard bargain and earning some goodwill in the future. After all, quality young players often come cheaper “now” than they do “later.”