Kukla's Korner Hockey

Kukla's Korner Hockey

Is Ryan Johansen Asking For Too Much Money?

09/04/2014 at 8:31am EDT

from Michael Arace of the Columbus Dispatch,

Ryan Johansen, the Blue Jackets’ top-line center, needs a new contract. His agent is Kurt Overhardt. The Jackets’ point man is assistant general manager Bill Zito.

Overhardt and Zito stopped negotiating on or around Aug. 1, which was five weeks ago.

The sides have agreed on a two-year term. The price tag is another matter. The Blue Jackets are offering around $7 million, or $3.5 million a year. Johansen’s agent is seeking something in the neighborhood of $13 million, or $6.5 million a year.

So, the sides are about $3 million apart, per year, and neither side is budging, and training camp is two weeks away.

This is getting stupid....

I am not bashing Johansen here. I am merely wondering what his agent is doing asking for the same second-contract money that was fetched by Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane.

Will Joey be as good as Toews? Maybe — but he is not as good right now, by any measure. Where is the Cup?

Overhardt should have an offer sheet from another team by now, if that is his angle. That would be fine. If he is aiming for a protracted holdout, I am betting the Blue Jackets hold firm. And they should.

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Paul Kukla founded Kukla’s Korner in 2005 and the site has since become the must-read site on the ‘net for all the latest happenings around the NHL.

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