By Joce, Senior Writer, All Habs Hockey Magazine

The position of General Manager or head coach in the NHL is not easy and rarely do we see the decisions made being received with complete support from experts in the media or fans of the team. This is particularly true when a team has a fan base as emotional and impatient as the Montreal Canadiens’ fan base. We don’t have to look very far these days to find an example of that, as the debate over the bridging contract between the Habs and recently acclaimed Norris Trophy winner P.K. Subban rages on.

PENTICTON, BC. – Drafted in the second round, 43rd overall by the Canadiens in 2007, Subban was a work in progress. While there was no denying that the defenseman had enormous skills sets, teams had some concerns over his exuberance and his maturity level. Trevor Timmins seized the opportunity when Subban was still available for the Canadiens’ second round pick and many GMs from other teams are kicking themselves today for not drafting the All-Star defenseman when they had a chance.

After one very successful rookie season in Hamilton seeing Subban accumulating 53 points in 77 games, the Canadiens called him up at the end of 2009-10, hoping to help replace then injured Andrei Markov. Subban did not disappoint. He racked up eight points in 14 playoffs games while showing signs that he had the talent to be a clutch performer in the NHL. He played the next two seasons with the Canadiens, averaging 37 points per season and he rapidly became one of the most hated players in the league, drawing NHL fans’ ire for his on-ice antics, his celebrations, his way of getting under the opponents’ skin and mostly, for his effectiveness.

A dark cloud was however hanging over his head as several teammates didn’t appreciate his attitude in the dressing room and Subban was often found in heated discussions and borderline fights during practice with some of his own teammates. Whether the claims were legitimate or not, such events added to his reputation of a guy who was bigger than the team, including a couple encounters with usually soft spoken Tomas Plekanec, adding fuel to the fire for those who already disliked Subban.

When Marc Bergevin and Michel Therrien were hired by Geoff Molson, they knew that they had a big project on their hands. In an interview on RDS, Therrien qualified Subban as a stallion, a pure-bread needing to be tamed and that he was looking forward to the challenge. As soon as the lockout ended, getting Subban under contract became Bergevin’s top priority but a difference in philosophy prevented the defenseman from participating in training camp and starting the 2012-13 season on time with the rest of the team. As reported on many occasions by both sides, money was not the issue as much as the term of the contract. The Canadiens wanted a bridging contract while the Subban clan was demanding a long-term deal.

Don Meehan, P.K. Subban’s agent, is an experienced and very well respected negotiator and he was supporting his point on contracts offered to players like Drew Doughty of the Los Angeles Kings and Tyler Myers of the Buffalo Sabres, amongst others. After all, Subban’s progress had been steady and his offensive production was already comparable to many of the top rated defensemen in the league. He was betting on his client to keep on improving.

Many figures were thrown out there by rumour bloggers and more or less respected members of the media but both the Subban clan and the Canadiens had agreed not to negotiate through the media. Some are using, for the sake of argument, that Subban was looking for $25 million over five years (or in that ball park) but when asked on record, both sides denied and refused to talk numbers publically. This should normally raise red flags for anyone reasonable enough but sometimes, the temptation of wanting to save face and winning an argument can cloud one’s good judgment by taking rumours as facts. Either way, we can all agree that he would have received less than what he will be getting on his next contract, after winning the Norris Trophy.

Marc Bergevin and the Canadiens needed to see more of Subban. Not for his on-ice offensive production, but more so about his attitude and his ability to get to the next level. They wanted Subban to mature as a young man, they wanted to see him buy into the team concept that they were instating. Also, Bergevin wanted to implement a way of doing business with his team, by following what other young players on the team went through, when guys like Carey Price and Max Pacioretty signed bridging contracts before getting into the big money and long term deals. Bergevin didn’t want to make exceptions as once you make that exception, the next player will want to do the same. Alex Galchenyuk will be expecting a bridging contract after his entry-level deal expires and had Bergevin cracked to Subban’s pressure, the young center would have also pushed for an early long-term deal.

From Bergevin’s perspective, he knew that he was dealing with a salary cap which will be lowered by $10 million next year and it was important for him to have some flexibility. He also knows that by the time Subban’s deal is up, Andrei Markov and Brian Gionta’s contracts could free up almost $11 million. Today, he can also see that with the NHL revenues, the cap is predicted to go up by as much as $10 million. All of that combined, signing Subban won’t be a big deal for a team who usually spends to the cap.

I could be wrong about this but it is my opinion that while Subban doesn’t necessarily need motivation to perform, the bridging contract served as added motivation, helping him perform to the level that he has and contributed to him winning the Norris Trophy. Personally, seeing the youngsters around the league being signed too early to long term deals and seeing their reduced production, I strongly believe that Subban tried to prove, this past season, that he’s deserving of that big contract and he’ll be doing the same this upcoming season. Not counting that he was a bargain last year with his $2.875 million cap hit and he will be again next year!

It is a natural human fact that for many (not all), there’s a sense of accomplishment and complaisance when you’ve reached your goal(s) in life. I truly believe that paying young players top money too soon in their career is too high of a risk. Teams are better off to keep dangling the carrot as long as they can.  Ask Buffalo how they feel about Tyler Myers’ contract to performance ratio. Does anyone think that the Hurricanes are not a bit concerned about giving Jeff Skinner a long term deal at $5.75 million per season after his last season?

In this case, there were serious issues that the Habs wanted Subban to work on. The fights with teammates in practice were ridiculous. To Subban’s credit, he has worked hard on that, and he’s improved in passing the puck sooner instead of carrying it end to end and that has contributed to his success. I bit of humility has done him some good.

Subban will get his big contract and by that time, it will be deserved and on time. Go Habs Go!

En français: Le pont d’or de Subban