Hutton’s deal set the bar for Stecher
Canucks better to reach terms with third-year defenceman rather than roll dice in arbitration
Salary arbitration is like a blind date for NHL general managers. They’re never sure about the person or the plan when an independent arbiter determines the worth of a relationship between their player and the team. It’s why a majority of the 44 cases filed by the July 5 deadline are expected to be settled before hearings are held between July 20 and Aug. 4. It eliminates the unknown.
Last year, of 30 players who filed for arbitration, only one — Las Vegas defenceman Nate Schmidt — waited for an arbitrator to award him a two-year, US$4.45 million extension following a 17-point season with Washington during which he was paid just $812,500.
It’s why the Canucks are expected to control as much as they can and reach contract extension terms with restricted free agent Troy Stecher. They set the bar long ago.
Ben Hutton was rewarded with a two-year, $5.6 million extension after a superb 201516 season. He was second in assists (24) for rookie blue-liners and third in points (25).
The struggling defenceman slipped to 19 and six points respectively for the last two campaigns. The 25-year-old lost his way, and lost the confidence of coach Travis Green, but he’ll still pocket $2.8 million next season as a third-pairing defender — unless he’s moved.
His contract is what an arbiter will use as a baseline to determine Stecher’s worth because he had 24 points (3-21) in his rookie 2016-17 season. His overall performance, including previous seasons, length of service, overall contribution, special qualities or public appeal and the salary of a comparable player are all admissible.
“I don’t know what an arbiter would think, but we’ve had discussions (with Stecher’s agent) about finding common ground and we have a number where we want to be at,” Canucks’ GM Jim Benning said Wednesday. “He’s a competitive kid and he shows up every night.
“He gives us that aggressiveness to get the puck out of our end and transport it. He’s a valuable guy to us and we want to figure something out.”
Stecher had just 11 points (1-10) in 68 games last season. Hutton had six (0-6) in 61 games and was a healthy scratch on seven occasions in a 15-game stretch.
Stecher outplayed Hutton and was not only a consistent top-four presence, but he also played in the top pairing when needed.
The 24-year-old Richmond native was third in ice time among Canucks defencemen (17:03) while Hutton was sixth (15:52). Neither played much power play time.
In the 2016-17 season, Stecher led the team in power play time (2:43 per game) and had eight points (1-7), while Hutton was second at 2:03 per game and third with 11 points (2-9).
Intangibles will come into play to determine where Stecher goes from an expiring entry-level deal that had a $925,000 cap hit, because a crowded back end won’t mean anything to an arbiter. If Quinn Hughes signs a contract and Olli Juolevi eventually joins the team after back surgery in mid-June, the Canucks will have 10 defencemen signed. That’s Benning’s dilemma. “We’re trying to figure what’s best for Quinn’s development and those conversations will continue to happen — there’s no timeline on it,” said Benning.
“If that (signing) is a direction we go in, we don’t necessarily need to move somebody. We can see who has a good camp and who has made strides. We can make that decision after camp.”
The Canucks are comfortable with Stecher and Hughes in their lineup. That speaks to today’s game. Remember the angst over the possibility of Stecher and Jordan Subban on the same back end?
“They (Stecher, Hughes) have different skill sets, but they can play on the same defence,” said Benning. “Quinn has the ability to run a power play, and while they can both transport the puck, Stecher is more competitive physically in the battles.
“Quinn is aggressive in wanting to get the puck to carry it and make plays.”