The Canadiens have already played two games, and they’ll play their third on Thursday night when they head to Washington to take on the Capitals. All three of those games, and any in the near future, will be played without the services of P.K. Subban.
The Montreal defenseman remains a restricted free agent, and the ongoing talks over a new contract between the two sides is ongoing. In fact, there hasn’t been many positive developments as of late. It’s expected that a deal will eventually get done, but nothing seems imminent at the moment.
Subban says that he just wants to get what he thinks he deserves.
“It comes down to this,” he told the Montreal Gazette. “I want to be paid what I’m worth.”
Subban continues to work out in Toronto until a resolution is reached There’s always a chance that the resolution is a trade, but Subban remains insistent that he wants to stay with the Habs.
“I don’t even know what to think anymore,” he told the paper. “At this point, you have to remain optimistic [and realize] it is a business, and a lot of things can happen.
“I hope [a trade] is not the case. I want to play for the Canadiens. I want to help the team. With the young players we have in the organization right now, we still have a great opportunity to win.
“But for my style of game and for what I do for the team, the amount of minutes I play and what I bring to the table, I have to be fairly compensated.”
Last season was the final year of Subban’s entry-level contract. The 23-year-old made $875,000 last season. He’s easily one of the game’s best young d-men and he’s obviously in line for a pretty big raise. Subban scored seven goals and added 29 assists last season, one year after notching 14-24-38 totals in four fewer games 2010-11.
“I’ve accomplished a lot for someone who’s only 23,” he told the Montreal Gazette. “I’m playing in one of the best markets in the NHL. To me, it seems like a pretty easy situation: you have a guy who wants to be there, for a long time, who actually thrives on playing in the pressure of Montreal. I don’t think there could be any more pressure than what I’ve had playing here the last two years.”
There has already been backlash from Montreal fans who are getting impatient with the process, getting antsy to see Subban back out there.
“One thing I’m not worried about is the fans,” he said. “When I step on the ice, I can play the game of hockey and I think I’m pretty good at it. I’m confident fans will be there when I have to be there. I’m not worried about extra pressure. I don’t think a raise of expectations of me is possible. Since I came into the league, I don’t think they could get any higher.”
The entire interview is a good read that you can check out by clicking here.
