Defensive market playing a role in Arber Xhekaj negotiations
Anthony Di Marco of the Daily Faceoff joined TSN Radio in Montreal and was asked if the market for defensemen could be part of the reason why Arber Xhekaj hasn’t signed with the Canadiens yet.
NHLRumors.com Transcriptions
NHL Rumors: Will the Montreal Canadiens Sign Arber Xhekaj or Trade Him?
Host: “Do you think part of it maybe is hesitation on the players’ side, in the sense that they’re essentially feeling they could potentially get more money on the open market, because you look at what Pittsburgh signed Ville Koivunen for the money that he got, right? And then he’s a guy that doesn’t have this tremendous track record of production in the NHL. It’s a contract banking on what he can do. Like they they may look at that kind of deal, and that may potentially change things in terms of contract talks.”
Anthony Di Marco: “Yeah. So I mean, like, let’s take Xhekaj for instance, who, as from a value standpoint, is probably not worth more than $2 million at this point in time. So maybe if you’re the Montreal Canadiens, you’re saying, oh, we’ll give you three years at $2 million, let’s say. And again, I’m just spitballing here. I’m not speaking from Intel at all.
But if you’re Xhekaj, even if you’re okay with the dollar value right now, because of course you can presumably ask for more based on your track record. You probably want that short-term deal so you could get to UFA status quicker, and you’re not locking yourself into a salary that your value is at right now, but maybe could blow the doors off.
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So absolutely, I think there is an element of trying to bet on yourself and not commit too much term for dollar value that may be fair in the here and now, but you think will very much quickly become under market value, especially when you consider how fast the cap is rising at this incredible rate.”
NHLRumors.com Note: Arber Xhekaj is a fan favorite, but the Montreal Canadiens will not be giving him $4 million on an AAV. That is what Ville Koivunen is getting on an eight-year deal with the Penguins. For a seventh or even eighth defenseman, that is too much. At most, Xhekaj will be making $2 million on an AAV. So while the market is changing, the Canadiens are sticking to their guns on what they believe he is worth to the club.
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