There is growing unrest in the Serpe camp that they don’t have a contract in place yet. The New Orleans first round draft pick is not very happy with current situation right now according to a source close to him. He is one of the last draft picks unsigned and we believe it is due to a disagreement between him and team on the first-year salary. Serpe made it clear that he wants a big pay day and he isn’t budging much according to sources familiar with the situation. Comparing contracts with other top 10 draft picks over the years we can see that there is an average about 3 million per year for three years. It is unclear if Serpe is looking for a one-year deal or a multiple year deal. With off season training going on now and the season to start soon it is really interesting to see when and if Serpe will sign with New Orleans this season. What is known is that Serpe will be playing for the St. Louis Scarecrows in the SMJHL so there is no issue of him holding out and not playing all season. New Orleans does own Serpe’s rights for the next three seasons, so they have the leverage but after those three seasons he is free to leave and play for whatever team he wants. For the next segment we will be asking two of our analysts what they think Serpe will sign for and how long.
Thomas: Hello Tyler and John, thanks for joining us. Tyler and John are both SHL analysts and have covered the league for a combined 23 seasons. Tyler you can go first.
Tyler: Thanks for having me. I will make this short and sweet, I do not see Serpe signing with in the next couple of weeks. Like you said the Serpe camp has made it clear that they want the contract to look like and New Orleans will not match that offer. It is unclear if they would trade Serpe or use their leverage to keep him on the team. Some early numbers out of the Serpe camp was a one year deal at 7 million dollars or a three year contract at eighteen million.
Thomas: Wow, that is a lot of money for a prospect to be asking, but it is one of the best defensemen we have seen in a few seasons. John it is your turn.
John: Thanks for letting me come on the show. I think Serpe will sign with in a few days. My sources are telling me both Serpe’s camp and New Orleans management has met today and talked for several hours. There should be motivation to get this done to make both sides happy and to ensure no bad blood is made between both parties at such an early stage in Serpe’s career. The deal that I think will get done is a three year deal at ten millions dollars or a one year deal at five million.
Thomas: Thanks for both of your inputs, we will be following the situation closely.
Serpe x 13
