“Silence is one of the great arts of conversation” – Marcus Tullius Cicero
A summer filled with public mud slinging is not one, that many fans envisioned coming into this offseason. Obviously many knew a negotiation was coming for Johansen, before the season began though not many thought such a breakout season was coming for the young centerman.
The past few months have been a time of intrigue and ridicule from both sides of the proverbial aisle, lets take a look at what has transpired and make sense of it all.
We should’ve seen the writing on the wall at the very beginning that this negotiation wasn’t going to be all that cordial when we got the “slap in the face” comment from Johansen. In any instance the comment isn’t necessarily the best way to start a time of negotiations and progress. In hopes of possibly yielding a response from the front office, they provided none and proved that silence was going to be the path that would best suit their negotiation style… for now.
While these talks took place during draft weekend, Overhardt was hard at work when July 1st hit and was able to reach a deal for Brandon Dubinsky which prompted the following tweet from Johansen:
Congrats to our second line centre 😉 #halfwall pic.twitter.com/P8i2mLuchD
— Ryan Johansen (@RyanJohansen19) July 13, 2014
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Although playful in nature, it plainly states the thought process of Overhardt & Co. that they weren’t ever going to respect the process of Restricted Free Agency. Did Overhardt use the Dubinsky signing as a benchmark that he wanted to point to during negotiations? However unlikely that seems, his unflinching number between 6.5-7 million plainly says otherwise.
Within the past couple of days though the war of words has intensified with Jarmo Kekalainen weighing in a conversation with Aaron Portzline:
“We’re going to exhaust every option to get a contract done before camp, after that, we’ll focus just on the team, the guys who are here.”
By setting an informal deadline for negotiations the line in the sand has been drawn and has been seen as a hard stance by many that Overhardt better play ball or they will move on without him. When thinking about it though who is the one that needs to blink first on this deal? Johansen doesn’t have much leverage per the last CBA. He has a couple of options though that can cause the Jackets to sweat, he can sit out training camp and part of the regular season or he can sign an offer sheet from another team. Jarmo has explicitly stated that he would match any offer sheet and Portzline has stated before that only a couple teams have the necessary parts for an offer sheet as well. That leaves the option of sitting out part of the regular season, which Overhardt stated simply by saying that “the pressure slips to the other side” when talking about potential in season negotiations.
His only true option is to sit out and force the Jackets hand. Are the Jackets a better team with Johansen on the ice, regardless of possible regression?
The overwhelming answer is yes.
The teams options are numerous but do any of them truly sit well? You can bring up Wennberg and slide him into the 3rd center role, a move while exciting in thought, doesn’t bring the necessary production needed to remedy a potential collapse without Johansen. What about the possibility of moving Dubinsky up and talking on Johansen’s more defensive roles? Last time Dubinsky faced similar QoC and ZS to Johansen’s he produced 34 pts in 77 games in the 11-12 season. Not necessarily a ringing endorsement for potential replacements but they will have to make due if they are truly willing to remain steadfast through training camp and the regular season.
The downside for many fans and especially the front office will be if the team gets off to a slow start and need to cave to his contract demands. It’s not as if this situation will be absolved and all will be forgiven, each will remember this the next time a contract comes around. Which makes this negotiation even more difficult, no one is truly in the wrong here. Johansen has a right to sit out and get the money he believe he is due to make. The front office is allowed to bring up comparable players and point to what others have made in the past. The part that is getting very little play in the national media is the Jackets role in the ever evolving NHL and how if they give into these demands it can leave a lasting effect on the league by setting a troubling precedent underneath this current CBA for potential RFA’s.
Now both have said their piece about the negotiation process (including John Davidson’s supposed contract offers to the Johansen camp) and have made it abundantly clear where they stand. Silence will need to be the prevailing theme to the media until a deal gets done. For all the outrage that has been produced by fans, the process will continue to move forward with Bill Zito and Overhardt and if the sides are actually willing to put the grand standing aside something will come together soon. After all a conference room is a better place to talk than through a media publication.
Let silence reign.
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