Dreger: Johansen focused on two-year deal
/Darren Dreger was on TSN 1050 Thursday evening.
On the Ryan Johansen contract negotiations :
“The latest is that Kurt Overhardt, who represents Ryan Johansen, has submitted a new two-year proposal to the Columbus Blue Jackets. I don’t get the sense that it was warmly received. But I’ll leave that to John Davidson and Jarmo Kelalainen to colorfully explain when they’re wanting to do that. But I don’t get the sense that there was any bridge gapped in this. But I know now that Johansen is committed to a two-year term. He’s not interested in a long year term now. They’ve shifted their sole focus to that two-year bridge contract. But again, in the last 20 minutes or so, collecting the information that I have, I don’t get the sense that there’s been much progress.”
Essential they want a bridge contract, but not with bridge money:
“Not with bridge money. They want money that’s reflective of the market of a player produces the way that Ryan Johansen produced last year. They’re not going to get it. And look, you know, Dave has known John Davidson for a long, long time. We get that this guy is an emotional guy. He gets fired up. But he’s respectful and he’s never going to put his organization in a position where they’re going to be looked at negatively and all of that. So for him to lash out in the fashion that he did, man, that says a lot about where – they’ve pitted in in this one.”
Source: TSN 1050/ Transcript: Nichols on Hockey