One interesting point about the Steve Sullivan signing from yesterday is the fact that it took some public frustration by David Poile, and an outburst from Sully on Twitter, to break the logjam and get a new deal completed.
In a nutshell, Preds fans were concerned when Poile spoke on the Thom Abraham Show Tuesday afternoon, indicating that an impasse had been reached because Sully was looking for a deal longer than two years. As the fans were expressing disappointment over this development on Twitter, Sullivan himself chimed in with surprise at what he had heard, prompting speculation as to whether things had broken down so badly that Sully’s departure was imminent.
In the end, however, it provided the opportunity for Sullivan himself to clear things up.
Here’s John Glennon’s take, following Poile’s media session yesterday:
I think one of the most fascinating aspects of the Steve Sullivan contract negotiations is that – after weeks and probably months of talks between the two sides – there was still a misunderstanding as of Tuesday on how many years Sully would be willing to take in Nashville.
Poile mentioned during a radio interview on Tuesday that Sullivan was seeking a three- or four-year deal, and those comments eventually found their way back to Sullivan in Canada.
Sullivan called Poile directly, letting him know that he’d be willing to accept a two-year deal to stay in Nashville.
Once that point had been established, a few hours on the open market were enough to establish a salary level and provide the framework for a new contract in Nashville.
It’s a happy ending for Predators fans, but things sure looked dicey for a while!
UPDATE: One interesting tidbit that came out of last night’s Hockeybuzz Radio interview with Steve Sullivan (at the 24:40 mark) is a denial that he had received any offers from other teams for a 3-year deal. Kevin Allen of USA Today sent a Tweet with that “news” yesterday afternoon, which also had Preds fans worried about whether Nashville would be able to re-sign him.