Subban on arbitration, Habs' captaincy, & Magic Johnson pic
/P.K. Subban joined Prime Time Sports on Tuesday evening, discussing his recently-signed eight-year, $72 million contract with the Montreal Canadiens.
Here are some of the highlights.
On if he was heavily involved in the contract negotiations, or if agent Don Meehan handled most of it:
“I think it’s fair to say that I’m aware of what’s going on throughout the process, but I didn’t really get too involved until towards the end. I really have respect for the process. I understand the CBA in terms of what goes on and players’ rights. I was in tune – the NHLPA has done a great job with the players and making sure they understand their rights within the CBA and also what the teams’ rights are. So I was well aware of that going into it and I understood that there was a possibility arbitration could be one of the stages during the process. When it got to the arbitration, that’s kind of when maybe I was a little bit more involved in terms of speaking to Marc Bergevin and also Geoff Molson.”
Did you have a moment where you were angry with the process or what they were saying or what was being offered?
“I don’t think you can really get upset at it because the CBA allows these things to happen. Obviously everybody would love for the after the end of the season for the first day of the summer to come and to be able to sign their deal on the first day, but we understand the business and maybe that’s not always the case. At the end of the day, I think the most important thing and what ultimately got the deal done was that both sides wanted a long-term deal. When it came to the judgment moment, I guess you could say, that’s ultimately what happened and obviously we knew that me being two years away from unrestricted free agency kind of also changes the negotiations a little bit in terms of the urgency of getting a long-term deal done.”
Subban gave immense credit to his parents and their respect for the process.
“It’s not easy for a parent to turn on their TV everyday and see these discussions on talk shows about their son going through a contract negotiation and everything being analyzed. It’s not easy. But they’ve done a fantastic job.”
When do you think you’ll get the captaincy?
“(Laughs) That’s a great question, and obviously one that I’ve been asked many times – even from last year. I think that it’s truly flattering when people consider me being a candidate for not only just being a leader, whether it’s a captain or an assistant captain, but to be thought of as someone who could possibly be a captain of the Montreal Canadiens – it’s very, very flattering. But it’s an interesting situation on our team, because we have so many players that have been leaders. Whether it’s at the junior level, pro level, or even at the NHL; we have a lot of guys who are learning to become leaders or are already leaders. I guess it’s a positive situation and it’s going to be a tough choice. I’m not too sure what they plan to do in terms of the selection process, but we’re all going to be respectful to the process and ultimately whoever gets the ‘C’ or wears the ‘A’, they’re going to be people that are very deserving. Definitely excited about our team moving forward in that regard.”
Were you in the room when both sides made their submission to the arbitrator?
“Yes, I was in the room. I was in the room for the whole process.”
Was it difficult to hear what the Montreal Canadiens had to say?
“No, I don’t think so because a lot of what they said is probably what people have been saying about me over my career. (Laughs) It wasn’t really anything new for me. A lot of the stuff, I said ‘Well, I’ve heard that before.’
“But at the end of the day it was never about tearing my confidence away or trying to deter me from wanting to play for them. It was – Listen, that’s arbitration. That’s business. If I’m the Montreal Canadiens, I want to get any player on my team at the best value that I can for our team moving forward. It’s a cap system, and the less you have to pay out the players, the more flexibility you have in terms of making your team better. So you have to understand that. You have to understand that process.”
Subban went on to praise agent Don Meehan and Newport Sports for their handling of the process.
Was there an offer on the table for a long-term contract before you went into arbitration?
“Yeah. Yeah. There was. There was. I mean, I don’t want to touch on too much of what transpired between us before the decision was done, but yeah – there were definitely offers made. But at the same token, we have the offer that we wanted. We had made submissions as well, so it was just finding the right deal. The right deal that was both comfortable for myself and the Canadiens. And in the end, I think we got that deal. I’ve had many discussions with Marc since we signed the deal and Michel Therrien the coach, the owner Geoff Molson – everybody is happy. I’m happy to move on from this and now try to win a Stanley Cup.”
Subban shared how much he enjoyed his trip to Europe earlier this summer too.
“This was the first summer I had ever taken a vacation. Vacation for me – I had never done it. I just, I don’t like to do it for whatever reason. I like to take time off, but I just don’t really like to be out of my element. This summer my parents basically picked me up and put me on a plane and said ‘You’re going away.’
“A group of friends of mine had planned a trip to go to Europe for nine days on a boat. It was a different situation for me. I wasn’t too sure about it, but as you can see by the picture of myself and Magic Johnson, I’m extremely happy I went. It was a remarkable trip. I came back energized and ready to start training. But what a trip. I encourage anybody to go to Europe. Especially the South of France. A lot of fun out there.”