MONTREAL – The Habs have finally reached a deal with defenseman P. K. Subban.
Montreal Canadiens’ general manager Marc Bergevin announced on Saturday that the team has agreed to an eight-year contract extension with Subban, running from 2014-15 to 2021-22.
“Defensemen of his level are a rare commodity in the NHL.”
“We are very pleased to have reached a long term agreement with P. K. Subban,” Bergevin said in a statement.
“This agreement helps consolidate the future of our team. A key element of our group of young veterans, P. K. plays with a high level of intensity every time he steps onto the ice.
“Despite his young age, he carries a great deal of experience and brings contagious energy to the team.”
Subban and the team endured an arbitration hearing Friday that would have led to a one-year deal.
Instead, the 25-year-old is in the fold in Montreal for the long term and will reportedly make US$72 million over the course of the contract, which averages out to approximately US$109,756 per game.
A native of Toronto, Subban was selected in the second round by the Habs, 43rd overall, in the 2007 NHL Entry Draft.
He represented Canada at the 2014 Olympic Winter Games in Sochi, Russia, winning a gold medal, and also at the World Hockey Championship in 2013 and the World junior Hockey Championships in 2008 and 2009 earning the gold medal on both occasions.
In 2012-13, P. K. Subban became the first Habs defenseman to be awarded the James Norris Trophy since Chris Chelios in 1988-89.
Subban led the team in the NHL playoffs with 14 points (5 goals, 9 assists) in 17 games, and was a clear second in the league for most powerplay points (9), setting a team record for a defenseman in a single playoff year with four goal with a man advantage.
Social media erupted in reaction to the news, some overjoyed fans shared their pleasure in the deal, while others took note of how Subban’s salary hike would affect the team.
— With a file from The Canadian Press
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