If you’re wondering how contract negotiations are going between the Montreal Canadiens and P.K. Subban, you’re not going to find out from the 2013 Norris Trophy winner.
Subban was in attendance at the RBC Canadian Open golf tournament in Montreal on Saturday and spoke with reporters briefly, but wasn’t eager to discuss how talks were going in getting a new deal done as Bill Beacon of The Canadian Press (via TSN) shared.
“I’ll answer one question about the negotiation: It’s been kept pretty quiet the whole time and it’s going to remain that way until a deal’s done,” Subban said. “As of right now, I’m just trying to enjoy the day and not think of anything.”
Subban is scheduled to go to arbitration with the Canadiens on Friday, August 1 if the two sides can’t get a deal done by then. With a week to go, that’s plenty of time for both sides to come to an agreement.
Subban is coming off a two-year, $5.75 million deal signed out of the lockout. Chances are very likely that Subban, now with a NHL award under his belt, will command more than that per year in his next contract.
If a deal isn’t done before Wednesday, we’ll find out where both sides stand in negotiations in arbitration as they have to submit what they believe should be paid out as a reward. The smart move for Montreal is to get a long-term deal done before anyone has to go to court.