PLD wanting around 9 million per - does that really surprise anyone?
Bo Horvat, a comparable player and 4 years older, got an 8.5 x 8 year deal.
Dylan Larkin, another guy with comparable numbers and two years older, got an 8.7 x 8 year deal.
That’s just a standard cost for that kind of center that puts up those kinds of numbers.
What PLD gets? That’s another thing entirely. The Jets don’t have any leverage, there’s only a 5 team list that will be submitted, so we know other GM’s aren’t going to go crazy. We also know, out of two of the teams that were mentioned publicly already (Rangers and Wild), the first team, the Rangers,have almost no cap space to pull off a move like this, so I can’t see it happening.
The Wild have cap space but also have several roster holes they need to fill, and do you really think the Jets are going to make a move that will drastically improve a hated Division Rival? I don’t think they’re real contenders here. The Jets would rightfully want more from the Wild than other teams.
I see this all as posturing from both the Jets and PLD’s camp. Obviously the PLD camp is trying to force the Jets hand, while negotiating in the media and behind the scenes. If you’re a player agent you’ll always want to start high and eventually come down (that’s literally his job), while GMs will always start low and come up. I have faith in Hughes, he’s drawn lines in the sand before and either got his price or walked away. The Habs will set their internal price and time will tell how it plays out… If PLD’s agent is smart, (and he obviously is) he knows that the money his client could make through sponsorship deals in the Montreal market would certainly exceed any perceived loss of revenue from other spots, and would be a very important area of consideration.
My prediction?
The repatriation of PLD will happen this summer, and he will be a Hab on opening night next year. I believe the price will be fairly reasonable for acquiring him, and I think he’ll accept an 8x8 AAV deal, keeping it very close to the internal cap structure already in place for the organization.
