The Pk Conundrum

PK Subban- The myth, the legend, the facts. Well what to do about PK. Who is right or wrong? 

Tyler Myers is younger than PK Subban by 8 months. Myers has played 3 years in the NHL. These are his stats:

He has played 217 NHL games, scored 29 goals, 79 assists, 108 total points, and has an overall +18. The intangibles is that he is the key to the buffalo defence and is physically imposing even if he doesn't really play a physical game.

Pk Subban has played 160 games in the NHL, scored 21 goals, 55 assists, 76 total points. The intangibles are his incredible speed and his physical high intensity game. Myers never played in the AHL. Subban was forced to play 77 games in Hamilton where he had 18 goals, 35 assists, 53 points and was a wow +46.

Tyler Myers signed a contract during the summer for 38.5 million for 7 years averaging 5.5 million for these 7 years. The Canadiens are apparently trying to sign PK to a short term of 2 years with a contract ranging anywhere from 3-5 million.

Drew Doughty is 6 months younger than Subban. He has played 4 NHL seasons. His stats are comparable to PK.  Doughty was signed for 8 years at 7 million per year. 

Taylor Hall is almost 2 years younger than PK. He has been injured in both of his NHL seasons. Taylor Hall signed a 7 year deal at 6 million per year.

Jordan Eberle is 1 year younger than PK. He has played two years where the Oilers did not make the playoffs. Jordan Eberle was signed at 6 years for 36 million.

Tyler Seguin is almost 3 years younger than PK. He has played 2 NHL seasons with a very good team. Tyler Seguin signed a 6 year contract at 5.75 million per year.

John Tavares is one year younger than PK. He has played 3 years in the NHL and the Islanders have not made the playoffs during this period. Tavares has signed for 5.5 million over 6 years.

So how much is PK Subban worth? What are the comparables? What is fair market value? One thing that all the others have that PK can't brag about is that they were all 1st round draft picks. Other than that, PK was the workhorse defenceman last year on a team that was falling apart at the seams. Incredibly he finished with a +9 on a dreadful team. 

Are the Canadiens playing before a half full arena? Are the Canadiens trying to penny pinch? There seems to be a lack of respect for PK. The Canadiens say PK should follow the lead of Max Pacioretty and Carey Price. These players had very slow NHL starts. Price lost his starting job to Halak and Pacioretty had two stints in the AHL. Do the Habs have anyone with the potential of Subban in their farm system? What we have seen so far from Tinordi and Beaulieu they are not close to matching PK's career in the AHL and being NHL ready. A more important point is how many PKs are there in the NHL? Not many. Is PK comparable to Michael Del Zotto who is behind the likes of Mark Staal, Dan Girardi, and Ryan Mcdonough? Who is ahead of Pk with the Habs? Maybe Markov but he is one good check from retiring.

I asked a simple question on twitter. Would PK be treated this way if he was a homeboy Quebecois. I don't think race is an issue. More of an issue is probably his anglophone Toronto roots.   PK has been a breath of fresh air as athletes go with his gregarious personality on and off the ice. Some have described this personality as unprofessional. The old boy French sports media has been quick to blame PK for every team failure. In this era we can't have Ken Dryden being pictured reading a French dictionary as Diane Dufresne looms. Jacques Martin blamed PK as undisciplined and Randy Cunneyworth made a point of castigating PK behind the bench during a televised game. Well one of the good old boys Michel Bergeron once did the same thing to Mats Sundin. Sundin seemed to have turned out ok. 

PK is now becoming part of the habs folklore and it might be whatever happens he may never be forgiven for this holdout. How will Therrien and PK get along? There could be a day Subban pulls a Patrick Roy and asks Geoff cheapskate Molson for a trade.

The problem is we have a rookie GM who may not be sure what to do. Does he stick with a conservative player salary structure in an era where even Jeremy Jacobs is willing to pay a Tyler Seguin a long term large salary. As PK noted, " I want to be paid what I'm worth."

Sent from my iPad