Player's desire for big payday might cost him his spot in the NHL.

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HockeyFeed
Published 7 years ago
Player's desire for big payday might cost him his spot in the NHL.
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It appears the Arizona Coyotes might have difficulty hanging on to one of their young players.

Coyotes' forward Tobias Rieder is coming off a career year with the team, posting career highs in goals [14] and assists [23], and is expecting  substantial raise for the upcoming season. However, it appears that the Coyotes and Rieder's camp are at a stalemate when it comes to bridging the negotiation's gap. 

According to the Arizona Republic, both sides are very far away on numbers:

“We have some work to do on him,” [Coyotes GM John] Chayka said.

There’s still more than a month to go before the team will gather for training camp, but the two sides don’t appear close to a resolution with Rieder’s camp considering the Kontinental Hockey League as an option.

“It’s just status quo,” said Darren Ferris, Rieder’s agent. “There’s been no discussions at this point that have made any meaningful change in anyone’s position.”

According to ArizonaSports.com, Rieder’s camp is seeking a two-year deal worth an average annual value of $2.75 million, but the Coyotes do not appear interested in such a deal. Rieder’s camp has also floated the ideas of a three-year deal (also with a $2.75 million AAV), and a four-year deal with an AAV of $3 million. This is a substantial raise from the $925,000 he made on his now expired entry-level deal.

 He has received interest from KHL teams and could decide to play there after the World Cup of Hockey. 

The 23-year old avoided a sophomore slump this season and increased his value by a large margin. The Coyotes would love to have him on their squad next season. However, both sides will have to come to an agreement that fits both of their needs or they risk losing a promising young talent.

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