TROY IS BURNING! TROY IS BURNING! 

Subban hysteria hits Montreal after arbitration hearing

This will be my take on the PK Subban and the Montreal Canadiens situation. I warn anyone reading this, I ABHOR people who refuse to see that every situation has two sides. This post will be in line with that kind of perspective: a two sided situation. 

If you are a Subban fanatic who takes what his now going on as some personal affront, if you participated in the sad online pogrom aimed at firing Bergevin or if you are a Subban basher, well this might not be a good read for you. Fans are fans, but this situation has shown the more lunatic and hysteric side of Habs nation. 

Let me get one thing out of the way first: I am a big fan of PK Subban the player. I love what he brings to the game, I want him signed long term in Montreal so I can see him truly mature into an elite defenceman. He is nearly there now and for the most part he has reached that level through various parts of his game. I think he is an important part of this team being built. I am NOT siding with the Canadiens' management either.  

Ok, now that this is out of the way, here is my take on this situation...

I did not expect Subban and the Habs to go to arbitration and a long term deal may yet be signed (seems like a long shot) before the ruling. I was of the opinion that this would get done at 7.5 - 8.5 per season for 6 to 8 years. 

The fact Subban filed for arbitration was NOT a surprise, it was a normal process as far as I am concerned. The numbers that were floated online (Habs and Subbans arbitration demands) were also not surprising as this is a normal part of the process. 

How do I see whats going on? This is a big stakes game being played between the Habs and Subban/his agent. Each side is playing the cards they have. Subban's camp has played this superbly as far as I am concerned. He won the PR battle hands down this time. This is part of the process and part of any negociation. The Habs have their position, Subban has his. Apparently the two sides are unwilling to budge on something. Too many people have jumped in and blamed the Habs 100%. That is in my opinion an emotion fueled response and a rash judgement based on very incomplete information. 

Very little is known of the negotiations, some numbers were floated around twitter but nothing was clearly  or officially substantiated. This lack of hard evidence did not stop fans, pundits and sadly some media from fanning the flames and firing full bore on the Habs while painting Subban as some sort of victim. 

Some has said Habs lacked respect for Subban, did not "love" him (that was is particularly silly IMO), wanted to push him out of town (sillier) and so on. Once again, this is a negociation for a long term and rich contract. It is complicated and it involves more than a raw number per season and a set number of years. The CBA has to be considered, as does the salary cap and importantly the team structure. Subban is a great player but no player, no matter how good can be bigger than the team. This is not to say Subban see's himself that way, this is for the more rabid fans out there who clamor "pay him whatever he wants nowwwwwwwwwww". That is not how team is run. 

The GM has to think of the entire roster, of the future and of how he wishes to make his team a perennial contender and a competitive team every year. It is certain the GM wishes to sign Subban, thinking otherwise is a bit silly in my opinion. It is also clear the player wants to stay here. I think Subban means it when he says he wants to be a Hab for life. 

Common ground has to be reached and it may not be reached now. 

If the arbitration results in a 1 year 7M deal, the Earth will not explode and the Habs will not spontaneously combust. The GM can then start negocicating an extension after January 1st 2015 and an arbitration deal does not mean Subban is gone. 

I for one still hope to see Subban signed long term before the ruling or after January 1st. I am also aware that no player is untouchable in this league (see Gretzky, Wayne). Any player can be traded and this includes Subban. If somehow Subban lets it known to Habs management that he is not interested in re-signing with the club next year, well, the GM is smart enough to trade him. 

So, let us all take a deep breath, relax and take this with some perspective. This may take a while. There will be more wild online speculation and tons of unsubstantiated information tossed out there. My advice: take this with a grain of salt and exercise caution before drawing hasty conclusions!