Despite his declining production in recent years, P.K. Subban still represents an interesting free agent case. On a short-term, low-cost deal, a team would be getting the 2013 Norris Trophy winner who as recently as 2020-21 was still averaging more than 22 minutes a night. According to his agent Don Meehan, who spoke with Nicolas Cloutier of TVA Sports, Subban is still considering his options and intends on playing in 2022-23.
Only 33, Subban made it onto our top-50 free agent board at No. 37, ahead of some other defensemen like Ian Cole, Jan Rutta, Olli Maatta, and Colin Miller who have already found homes for next season. While a team couldn’t know that they are definitely getting a player better than that group, none of them have ever come anywhere close to the kind of upside that Subban has shown in the past.
The fact is, as a right-handed offensive defenseman, it might actually be a player higher up that chart that is holding things up. John Klingberg is still unsigned, and represents a much more in-his-prime option for a team looking for a little boost on the back end. Once he makes a decision on where to go next, there may be additional teams interested in adding Subban as a cheaper fallback plan.
No matter where he goes, Subban will be looking at a massive pay cut. He has carried an average annual value of $9MM since 2014 when he signed an eight-year, $72MM deal with the Montreal Canadiens. Traded twice since then, it’s been so long since Subban was on a reasonably-priced contract that it’s hard to really understand what kind of upside he could even provide at this point.
There is a chance of significant surplus value if he’s willing to sign a one-year deal, though detractors will say that his best days are so far behind him that it would be wasting money. There could be a good argument for a professional tryout in this case, even if that seems farfetched with the prices that other defensemen have received this summer. It would allow a team to see Subban in their system before making a commitment, and allow him to negotiate a bit more lucrative contract closer to the season, should his play dictate it.
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He shouldnt get signed. Hes an offensive defensman that hasnt been producing offensively for years. Not even in his contract year. So theres no hope that your getting anything other than an ECHL caliber defensman. All GMs woyld be wise to pass unless theyre trying to tank with a value contract that sgouldnt be more than 1 or 2 mil
to be fair , he’s been on NJ who have made everyone bad
He should not be signed? 32 teams in the league. At six defensemen per team, you don’t think that he would be one of the best 192 in the NHL? Your hockey knowledge seems to be lacking.
Muahahaha! In my crystal ball I see James Neal and P.K Subban to The Leafs! Muahahahaha – that’ll be a buck 50, you can leave the coins in the shoes by the doors.
Honestly, Neal did pretty well in Springfield after he was sent down, and issued not a peep of complaint. He could give some team decent bottom-six production, anyway.
A big name player who is clearly on the tail end of his career? Welcome to Toronto, PK!
Surprised he’s not a Leaf at league minimum given his relationship with JT. Or in Tampa with SS.
He leads the league in dirty slewfoots.
Chicago is a great place to fight racism. Thats about all this guy can offer. Oh and slewfooting people and crying yeah totally forgot about it my mistake
Well, look … “getting the 2013 Norris Trophy winner” matters not one single damn bit. You might as well advocate that a team make an offer to Ray Bourque or Nicklas Lidstrom, on the ground they won lots of Norrises. There is no “upside” here — Subban’s in sharp decline, he’s in his thirties, it’s been five years since he was an elite defenseman, and four years since he was better than bottom-pairing. It really is a truism that athletic performance peaks at 27-28.
What I’d sign him for is a hair better than league minimum, but only that: one year at $1MM. Take it or leave it. Beyond that, he’s not going to be part of any team’s future, and I’d rather give ice time to young and hungry defensemen ten years younger to see what they can do.
Haters.
Pk will be reborn back in Montreal.
Where he’s most comfortable and his child hood team. And if we are not in the wildcard race, traded at trade deadline and resigned next summer.
Realists.
But hey, if you want to live in Fantasyland, and dream of the 1977 Habs reborn, Price breaking the single-season shutout record, Caulfield winning the Richard Trophy, and a 16-0 march to the Cup, dude, it’s your dream world. No doubt there’s room for Subban being a Norris finalist in that dream world, while you’re at it.
Leafs are his childhood team