Tobias Rieder, Coyotes end contentious talks with 2-year deal
Tobias Rieder and the Arizona Coyotes have agreed on a two-year deal, ending a nasty little negotiation between the restricted free-agent forward and his team.
In two NHL seasons, Rieder, 23, has 27 goals and 31 assists in 154 games. He had 37 points last season, averaging 17 minutes and 18 seconds per night in 82 games. The German center played well for World Cup of Hockey darlings Team Europe, in a defensive bottom six role.
Rieder’s new contract carries a cap hit of $2.225 million, as he earns $2 million in the first season and $2.45 million in the second, according to Elliotte Friedman.
This is a win for rookie GM John Chayka, who stuck with his original offer of around $2.2 million against the cap.
The two sides agreed on this contract being a short-term bridge deal. They couldn’t agree on the money, as Rieder’s agent Darren Ferris was asking for $2.5 million on average. So Rieder didn’t report to camp after the World Cup ended.
From Craig Morgan of ArizonaSports.com, Ferris said:
“They are not working toward any amicable deal at all. There really haven’t been any negotiations, per se. The team is unwilling it seems to negotiate. Tobi is the only one making any effort. It’s unfortunate that a good kid gets treated this way. He never balked at the defensive role they made him play, and they don’t seem to value the intangibles he brings to the team.”
On Sept. 28, Ferris said in an email to Morgan: “I think it would be best for both parties if they just traded him. He is really disappointed with them.”
There was also talk of Rieder bolting to the KHL, a.k.a. the other way an RFA can try to leverage his team if not reporting to camp and/or demanding a trade doesn’t work.
Chayka didn’t trade him and held the line, telling AZCentral.com:
“It’s disappointing,” Chayka said. “He’s a big part of our team, and we like him a lot. We feel like we’ve made him some real considerable long-term offers that are right on par with the longest offers we’ve ever made in this organization. We want him to be here and get engaged with his teammates and join the club. But it’s business, too. He’s not the first guy to go through this and probably won’t be the last.”
The drama is over for now, but they could go through it once more in two years, when Rieder is an RFA again.
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Greg Wyshynski is a writer for Yahoo Sports. Contact him at puckdaddyblog@yahoo.com or find him on Twitter. His book, TAKE YOUR EYE OFF THE PUCK, is available on Amazon and wherever books are sold.
