^Good to hear.
We were "chattin' about Chatty" last night at the game. My buddy proposed locking him up in the offseason. It's a calculated risk, the kind of thing the Borg likes to swing on.
Do you think offering $3M per year for 4 years would make sense? It's a pretty good deal for Chat to take the money based on a very short body of work. The upside for the Canes is it's possible he is a top 4 defenseman if we give him the opportunity. It could be plausible for the Canes to lose one of Pesce/Skjei, slot Chat up, and give the saved money to help keep the other guy.
The move would put a longer hold on the possibility of Morrow / Nikishin joining the top 4, but I'd rather let that become a good problem to have if they earn it. They're far from earning it right now.
I wasn't sure what the $$ would be for Chat. $3M/yr is steep for the player he is today and I think that might be the cost of doing business early. I do think this year he has played like a $3M player, at least on the third pair.