P.K. Subban and the Dallas Stars. The Dallas Stars and P.K. Subban. It just doesn’t work. Or does it?
Not really, so don’t go buying a #76 Victory Green jersey just yet. But it could be a possibility in the near future, so don’t COMPLETELY count it out yet.
Here’s a quick breakdown:
Yesterday, P.K. Subban and the Montreal Canadiens made it public that they were not able to reach an agreement and that the arbitration hearing scheduled in early July was imminent. About 95% of players that file for arbitration settle a new contract with their current team before the hearing. But, if they don’t, there’s a pretty good chance that the two sides aren’t getting along very well. When two sides aren’t getting along very well, you can be assured there will be conflict.
Now, since Subban is in the middle of an arbitration hearing, that means that a contract will assuredly come out of it. This means that Subban will definitely be wearing red and blue next year. The Habs at least have him for one more year, but maybe no more than that. If Subban does flee from Montreal next year, the Stars could definitely hunt something they desperately desire: a game-changer on the blue line. Subban will be an RFA next year, though. If a one-year deal does emerge, then that shows how split the sides are and how likely it is that Subban, who won’t be able to file for arbitration for the rest of his career, will not receive a new offer from the Canadiens and will eventually turn into a UFA.
The Dallas Stars could then make a move. At the end of next season, Shawn Horcoff, Sergei Gonchar, Rich Peverley, and Erik Cole will all be off the cap and an enormous amount of space – around $18 million – would be available for use on the highest talent. And we know exactly how Jim Nill likes to draw in top talent.
Considering the Stars are ULTIMATELY on the rise and all they seem to lack is a major defensive threat that is outstanding in the two-way game, and that Jim Nill has no trouble in going for top-of-the-line talent, Big D would be a perfect fit for Subban.
Bottom Line: The thought of that is still at least a year away, unless something crazy goes down in trades throughout the year. So until then, we’ll just have to make do. But that’s okay by the Stars standards.
Comments and questions below, and as always thanks for reading! Go Stars.
#RidOfTheRed (read about it here, if you don’t know about it yet).