(UPDATE 3:40 PM)- Bob McKenzie has weighed in on the contract talks with Marc Methot and Bobby Ryan and is painting a different picture than the one presented in the Ottawa Sun this morning. McKenzie suggests that the Senators did not ever offer Ryan a 7 year/$7 mil a season let alone have it rejected by Ryan. The two sides have discussed a number of options with Ryan’s side indicating they would like to wait until the season starts to talk deal. On Marc Methot, the numbers from suggests that the Senators would like to keep the cap hit around $4.5 mil a season while Methot is looking for something closer to $5 mil.
(UPDATE 1:20 PM)- Pierre Dorion was also on TSN1200 this morning and firmly rejected the story printed in the Ottawa Sun, refuting the published numbers and suggesting that Larry Kelly and his client Marc Methot were out of line in leaking these numbers through the media. The two sides are close in terms of numbers but it’s pretty clear there is some bad blood here. The next move in this process will certainly be an interesting one and with training camp kicking off tomorrow, this has the potential to be a pretty big distraction. You can listen to the Dorion interview here.
(UPDATE 10:32 AM)- Bobby Ryan was on TSN1200 this morning and seemed to paint a more optimistic picture than the one shared by Don Brennan. While he confirmed that he wants to wait until the season starts to continue negotiations, he did indicate that the numbers out there right now are not accurate.
Bobby Ryan says the figures that have been thrown out by fans & media on a contract are false. Says talks will resume when the season starts
— Steve Lloyd (@TSNSteveLloyd) September 17, 2014
Late last night, Don Brennan of the Ottawa Sun leaked some pretty interesting details about the negotiations with Marc Methot and Bobby Ryan and the information provided doesn’t exactly seem like “good” news.
With Methot, it’s pretty clear that both sides are a little closer to a deal than they’ve been letting on. The two sides are about $300,000 apart with the Senators offering $4.7 mil over 5 years and Methot’s camp asking for $5 mil over the same term. It’s not a huge divide and would seemingly indicate that a deal isn’t far off.
What’s not so good is the way the two sides have taken what should be a very private process into the media spotlight. When Murray indicated he was willing to trade Methot during his sit down with Bob McKenzie, he was clearly trying to lean on Methot a little bit and get him to move in the team’s direction. Instead, Methot and his agent Larry Kelly fired back, using the Ottawa Sun to get their side of the story out there.
It’s certainly not the ideal way of doing business and sort of has the potential to derail the negotiations. The good news is the actual divide between the two sides seems manageable.
Bobby Ryan may be another story. For the first time, a media outlet as released details of the rumoured offer from the Senators to Bobby Ryan. 7 years/$49 million. That has to be pretty close to what Ryan was expecting and if he flat out refused, that’s not really a great sign. To be fair, Brennan did label the numbers as “unconfirmed rumours”.
The Senators have put a seven-year deal on the table to Ryan. Was told they’ve offered various short and long-term deals. #Sens — Bruce Garrioch (@SunGarrioch) September 17, 2014
Ryan has indicated that he wants to start the season and see where he fits here in Ottawa before committing. He wants an expanded role and wants to know that he is one of the go to guys for this hockey team. Assuming the numbers are true at least in the right ball park, is that kind of dollar and term not enough of a commitment?
Everything I have heard throughout this process has sounded positive. And for the record, it remains that way. The organization has maintained a quiet confidence that they would be able to get something done with both of these players. With training camp now just a couple days away, I’m starting to wonder if maybe that confidence is a little misguided. Clearly there is still work to be done on both fronts.
It’s not time to panic yet but the latest updates on Marc Methot and Bobby Ryan are certainly a cause for concern.
