Shaw's agent insists he didn't ask for $4.5M from Blackhawks

Pat Brisson says Andrew Shaw wasn't seeking a $2.5-million raise from the Chicago Blackhawks before he was traded to the Montreal Canadiens.

"The Blackhawks did everything they could to sign (him)," Shaw's agent told The Athletic's Scott Powers on Tuesday. "They just don't have the cap space. Contrary to reports, we didn't ask for $4.5 million."

A source told Powers that Shaw was looking for seven or eight years on a new deal at a cap hit of $3.2 million, but Chicago couldn't go higher than $3 million because of the team's proximity to the cap ceiling.

Mark Lazerus of the Chicago Sun-Times reported last week that Shaw was seeking at least $4.5 million per season on his next deal with the Blackhawks.

The 24-year-old finished a two-year deal this season that carried a cap hit of $2 million.

He was dealt to the Canadiens on draft night Friday for a pair of draft picks, and Montreal signed Shaw to a six-year contract worth a reported $23.4-million - or an average annual value of $3.9 million - on Monday.