In an NHL news update for September 23, 2019, there is news that the Tampa Bay Lightning have finally signed Brayden Point to a three-year extension.
It was a deal that took a lot longer than most people had anticipated it would. As of a few days ago, Point’s agent said the two sides still weren’t close. Monday’s news simply shows, when negotiating a contract for a star player, things can change in a hurry, if you want them to.
Both Eric Francis of Sportsnet and Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic reported things were getting closer between the Point and Lightning camps. Both said there was considerable progress being made.
Francis specifically noted that the two sides were about $2 million apart as of a couple of days ago, but within a matter what felt like hours, the two sides were able to narrow that gap. Francis tweeted:
This is big news and it will be interesting to see how back-loaded the contract is. As per Cap Friendly, this deal buys one RFA year and two arbitration-eligible years. Point will be an RFA with arbitration rights when this deal expires.
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