Why the delay on a deal with Kyle Turris?
Goal-scoring centres are difficult to find so Ottawa will have to open up its wallet
Kyle Turris is too valuable for the Senators to lose.
Both right now and in the foreseeable future.
The Senators know this, yet they have still not signed their top centre to a contract extension. Will a deal be done before this season, the last on his current pact, gets too old? Probably.
But perhaps it’s not the slamdunk we assumed it would be.
Turris has been one of the team’s top three scorers in four of his five full seasons as a Senator. The only time he failed to crack that group was in 2015-16, when he missed 25 games with an ankle injury. The former Ironman bounced back last season with a career-high 27 goals to go along with 55 points.
As the return on one of the best trades Bryan Murray ever made, Turris brings more to the table than offence. Yet seven Senators currently have a higher salary than his $3.5 million, which means his expiring five-year contract is also one of the best Murray ever inked.
Maybe Turris is trying to make up for playing at such a team-friendly stipend. Who knows, rather than the $5-6 million people are assuming he’s asking for, maybe he wants closer to the approximately $7 million being pulled in by Bobby Ryan and Dion Phaneuf. That wouldn’t be such an outlandish ask, if you think about it.
Meanwhile, Turris has dug his heels in before.
The soft-spoken B.C. native, who turned 28 in the summer, missed training camp and the first two months of the season when he was without a contract coming out of his entry-level deal as a Phoenix Coyote six years ago.
Of course, that was under a different set of circumstances. He didn’t have an agreement then and he still has one now.
The point is, Turris has a history of being headstrong when attempting to get what he feels he deserves.
“I don’t think it’s in any way comparable,” Turris said Friday of his negotiations as a 22 year old. “Things happen.”
Turris insists he isn’t distracted by the fact he’s entering the last year on his contract.
“No, it’s something where I just show up to the rink and play hockey, and have fun doing it,” he said. “I let my agent do the rest.”
Turris actually hasn’t played any hockey since he was an instrumental figure in the Senators long playoff run last spring. He wasn’t dressed for the first two pre-season games against Toronto — nor will he suit up for Saturday’s home exhibition versus the Montreal Canadiens — but will play Monday in P.E.I.
Coach Guy Boucher says Turris hasn’t played to this point because the team wants to get a longer look at other players — and with Derick Brassard’s status for the Oct. 5 season opener still in the air, he’s reluctant to risk having another top end middle man go down.
“We’re trying to save our centres,” Boucher said. “If you lose one more then, I’ll be honest with you, it would be close to panic time.”
Boucher points out Turris is coming off a “terrific” season, both in the goal scoring department and on a power play that wasn’t very good. Mostly, Boucher cherishes Turris for his ability to play his position.
“I think with a guy that can skate like that ... that’s a good professional,” Boucher said. “You’ve got to be happy with what you have.
“Centres are pillars with the forwards. You go goaltender, No. 1 player, then your Top 4 D, then your centres. Then the rest. You’re happy to get great wingers, of course. You’re happy to get a terrific fifth defenceman and all that. To win, you need a lot of depth.
“But when you lose your centres, you’re in trouble, It’s not just the faceoffs they take, it’s the puck possession they give you. It’s the smarts. You want to put your winger at centre, but it’s very difficult to be able to do that job. That’s why for me, you stack up on as many centres as you can. You can put them on wing and that’s never an issue. The opposite is an issue. So protect your centres. It’s that important.”
It’s also important to have a centre you can count on to produce. They are not easy to come by and the Senators don’t have a lot of them in the system.
Meanwhile, Turris is going about his business with a smile on his face. He’s going to play the final three exhibitions before having what, by now, you can expect will be another solid season.
“I feel like I’m in good shape and make sure I stay in good shape,” Turris said when asked if he’s champing at the bit to get started. “Whenever they want to play me, I’ll play.”
What remains to be seen is, when will they show him the money. If they don’t, another team surely will.