P.K. Subban contract: 2-year deal a huge win for Canadiens, Marc Bergevin

Turn in your #offersheetPK Twitter hashtags, Bruins and Flyers fans: defenseman P.K. Subban and the Montreal Canadiens agreed on a two-year deal announced by the team on Monday night.

After weeks of holding out for a long-term contract, Subban signed the short-term bridge deal the team had been offering all along, for a slightly larger amount, according to TSN.ca's Bob McKenzie: $5.75 overall, with $2 million coming in Year 1 and $3.75 million in in Year 2. Subban also missed out on the money he was seeking, though he'll have the opportunity to sign a new deal more quickly.

P.K. Subban has inked a two-year deal with the Montreal Canadiens. (AP Photo)

The move represents a huge win for first-year Canadiens GM Marc Bergevin, as Subban, 23, had reason to expect both a longer term and more money than what he ultimately received. In the end, he did as the Canadiens hoped: agreeing to a deal similar to that of Rangers defenseman Michael Del Zotto and delaying a larger potential payday until his third contract.

It was a calculated risk for Bergevin that paid off; his stance made sense on a few fronts, as the team figures to have several players in line for raises over the next few years, and goalie Carey Price and forward Max Pacioretty, the team's two other cornerstones, had already set the third-contract precedent.

But Subban is a rare commodity: a defenseman with true No. 1 potential who is already excelling in virtually all aspects of the game. While Del Zotto put up more points, Subban played against tougher competition, drove possession more effectively and played on both the power-play and penalty-kill units. A deal in line with Washington's John Carlson (six years, $23.8 million deal, $3.97 average) would've been closer to fair.

Plus, as the staring contest continued, the risk of an offer sheet from some other team grew, with Philadelphia and Boston the two most obvious matches. In the end, as is virtually always the case, the offer sheet never came, and neither did a trade—a large reason for that, no doubt, is Subban's stated preference to stick with the Canadiens for the long term.

That's not exactly what ended up playing out—two years isn't five years—but if Subban reaches his potential, he'll get what's coming to him in 2014—whether it's from the Canadiens or someone else.

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