In just a few short days, the calendar will flip from July to August and as the summer begins to wind down and Fall approaches, so too does the start of a new season.
With their roster all but finalized for the upcoming season, there is plenty of reason for Sens fans to get excited about the team that will take the ice at the Canadian Tire Centre in just a couple short months. But for Bryan Murray, there is still one key move to make this off season and that’s getting defenceman Jared Cowen signed to a new contract.
A restricted free agent, Jared Cowen is entering his third season with the club. After appearing in all 82 games in the 2011/2012 season, Cowen battled a significant hip injury this past season.
Like so many Senators, Cowen was forced to undergo major surgery, sidelining him for the majority of the lockout shortened season. Cowen returned in the final couple weeks of the season and played in the playoffs, but struggled at times. Not surprising considering how much time he missed.
But now at 100%, and with Sergei Gonchar leaving for Dallas, Cowen is expected to play a top four role on this team’s blue line this coming season. He’ll be critical to the team’s penalty kill and may even find himself on the power play from time to time. It’s a lot to ask of a 22 year old but the coaching staff and the organization feel as though Cowen is ready for increased responsibility.
The tricky part comes in trying to determine his worth, both in the immediate future, as well as down the road. The two sides are expected to discuss a couple options, including a short term “bridge” contract, as well as something a little longer term.
Obviously there are pros and cons to both options.
On a short term deal, you would expect that Cowen comes in under $2 mil a season while a longer term deal is likely to cost the Sens a little bit more per season. I get the sense both team and player would prefer something short term that would allow Cowen to establish himself as a top four defenceman before inking that longer term, big money deal.
Cowen’s agent Rick Valette isn’t saying much about the negotiation at this point.
Murray and his staff are hoping to make progress on a new contract this week and I wouldn’t be surprised to see something get sorted out by the end of the week.
What kind of contract do you expect Cowen to get?
