Sakic, Avalanche hoping to sign Stastny: 'We've got a structure, and he understands that'
Colorado Avalanche president Joe Sakic and head coach Patrick Roy held a press conference Thursday to discuss various issues, not the least of which was the impending unrestricted free agency of center Paul Stastny.
"We're hopeful we can sign (@PaulyWalnuts26). We've got a structure, and he understands that," Sakic said.
— Colorado Avalanche (@Avalanche) June 19, 2014
Sakic added "We believe in taking care of our core guys, and (Ryan O'Reilly) and Paul are part of that," but qualified that by saying if Stastny chooses to test the market as a free agent, "that's his right."
What Sakic is referring to when he cites "structure" is open to interpretation, but this may provide some insight:
Sakic dodged the question when asked if they would pay anyone more than Duchene
— Drew Spevak (@DrewSpevak) June 19, 2014
Matt Duchene is locked in to a contract that will see him earn $6-million a year through 2018-19.
Serious negotiations between the two sides are slated to begin next week.