Heading into the final year of his current coaching contract, Vancouver Canucks bench boss Travis Green is going to need a new deal. Both sides are reportedly interested in continuing the relationship but Sportsnet is reporting that the Canucks might have a slight issue when it comes to getting an extension done.
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The expectation is that Green will get a new three-year deal. Three years is pretty standard with the exclusion of big-name coaches who sometimes get a five-year pact. There’s also talk Green could get a sizeable bump in salary, but that’s where part of the complication comes in.
Satiar Shah said there are questions in Vancouver over how long and for how much they should extend Green. Shah explains that while a number of high-profile coaches got some pretty big money over the past few seasons, the pandemic has changed more than just player salaries.
Shah notes:
We have heard that there might be a correction when it comes to head coaches salaries but when you look at what Travis Green was making and the fact that he’s not going to be commanding the same type of money that Barry Trotz did, or that Mike Babcock did or that Joel Quenneville did. I’m not sure I quite buy that Travis Green needs a correction on his future salary.
Green Might Be Stuck in a Tricky Spot
One would argue that if the Canucks tried to lowball Green, that would be fairly unethical considering he’s on an entry-level coaching salary. He’s certainly not in that group of upper echelon coaches, but if he’s getting three more seasons, a slight bump from entry-level is a slap in the face.
At the same time, it’s hard to imagine the Canucks throwing heaps of money at him. The coaching salary market is still correcting itself and there are a lot of unanswered questions for the league as a whole moving forward. No one yet knows how many games will be played, it’s hard to know what a “fair” salary will be and owners aren’t exactly raking in big money right now.
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