National Hockey League: Fabian Brunnstrom signs with the Dallas Stars
Fabian Brunnstrom was among the 31 NHL players who had filed for Salary Arbitration earlier in July, and now he joins the ranks of the many who have already signed contracts with their teams before the horrific arbitration process could begin.
Fabian, though, got too close to arbitration. The arbitration hearing was scheduled for Friday and the deal was signed on Friday morning just hours before the meeting. A clever move on Fabian’s part because in all likelihood, the arbitration process would not have ended in Fabian’s favour.
Fabian was given a qualifying offer which he turned down. The two-way deal worth $826,750 was too much of risk for the struggling forward, because it included the possibility that Fabian could spend the season with the AHL. If that had turned out so, Fabian would get nowhere near the $826,750 but only $65,000. Therefore, after filing for arbitration and getting into the negotiation process, Fabian chose a more practical approach.
He dumped the qualifying offer and instead took a significant pay cut down to $675,000 in favour of a one-way deal. With the one-way deal, he gets security in terms of pay. Fabian would receive the full $675,000 even if he ends up playing with the AHL. The contract expires next year.
Fabian scored a less than impressive two times in 44 games previous season. His total points tally was 11 with 9 assists for the season. Fabian’s debut NHL season was also his most productive. In the first NHL game he ever played, he scored a hat-trick. Coupled with a (career best to date) 2008-2009 season of 29 points with 17 goals, he looked all set to be an important player for the Dallas Stars in the coming years. Since then, though, in the following 44 games he has been nothing to talk about.
Fabian was resigned to the AHL in the 2009-2010 season for 8 games, and his position in 2010-2011 season was not guaranteed either. His agent, J.P. Barry, said that the one-way contract was important to Fabian and thus it became the focal point of the negotiations. He did clarify, though, that it wasn’t as much as the financial security as the desire to play in the NHL that influenced his decision ultimately.
Barry asked for a qualifying offer worth of a contract but the Dallas Stars knew they had a stronger bargaining position. Fabian gets security and the Dallas Stars get a forward for just $675,000 who can score even if he has been struggling lately. He lost his spot on the team last year and the same players are fighting again for the same spot. It’s all too likely that Fabian would not have secured a place this year too. Fabian needed security in his contract.
Dallas Stars’ General Manager, Frank Provenzano, said that they were confident in their case and believed the arbitration hearing would have proved favourable for the team. Frank also said that the contentious nature of arbitration was something that the Stars always avoided. Overall, he is satisfied with the outcome. “We get Fabian signed at a rate that we feel is manageable,” he said.
That leaves both parties with exactly what they wanted, something Barry also emphasized in his statement. Fabian still does not get a guaranteed spot on the team, but with his new contract and reduced cap hit that comes with it, Fabian does indeed become a very good trade option for the Stars.
Barry suggested that Fabian could have played in Sweden for more money than what he would make with the Dallas Stars. “He wants to play in the NHL, and he's doing everything he can to make that happen," Barry said, hinting once again that money was not the most important aspect of the negotiations with the Stars. "I think you will see a very motivated player next season."
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