Canadiens' Subban wants to 'be a lifer' in Montreal; contract talks being kept intentionally quiet

Tap here to access our NHL Tracker, which includes offseason rumors, trades and signings.

Montreal Canadiens defenseman P.K. Subban is the NHL's premier remaining restricted free agent, and as talks continue, made the rounds in recent days to relay the message that he longs to remain in Montreal despite the relatively quiet nature of the negotiation process.

As per NHL.com, Subban recently appeared on 'Breakfast Television' in Montreal, and spoke about his desire to remain with the club: 

"Obviously I remain adamant on remaining in Montreal and being a Montreal Canadien," he said. "And not just for a long time but hopefully for the rest of my career, and be a lifer there. I really enjoy playing there."

Subban appeared at the RBC Canadian Open on Saturday, and told inquisitive reporters, "I'll answer one question about the negotiation. It's been kept pretty quiet the whole time and it's going to remain that way until a deal's done."

If an agreement can't be reached before the end of the month, Subban and the Canadiens will meet with an arbitrator in Toronto on Aug. 1.

The 25-year-old is coming off a two-year, bridge-type deal that carried a $2.875-million cap hit. As one of the game's best players at his position, Subban's new deal will likely to be long-term in nature, and with a much higher salary to boot.

Clearly there's an appetite on both side to get something done; whether Subban and the Canadiens can agree on term and valuation prior to the arbitration hearing is yet to be determined.