Better late than never, all right, but 45 minutes into yesterday’s remarkably high-octane 50-minute practice at Rye, Mike Mottau could have been excused for wishing either that he hadn’t missed the opening 12 days of camp by holding out or that he might have waited one more day.
“That short skate at the end was pretty tough,” the 22-year-old defense candidate admitted. “I’m sure it will take me a couple of days to get adjusted and get my legs.”
Mottau, the Hobey Baker Award winner out of BC, still hasn’t signed a contract. He’s attending training camp under a tryout agreement, hoping that he shows enough for the Rangers to increase their latest offer, one that’s between the proposal they offered Mottau in April and the one they offered him prior to the opening of camp. Mottau is looking for a two-year Entry Level deal (as mandated by terms of the CBA) equal to the $1.55 million his BC roommate, winger Jeff Farkas, received last spring from the Maple Leafs.
“It was a little unexpected when the Rangers offered me a number that was different than they’d offered earlier,” Mottau explained, “and so even though staying away from training camp was really the last thing I wanted to do and was very tough knowing that I had an opportunity to make the big club, I felt I had to protect my best interests.”
Mottau’s a 6-0, 190-pound, left-handed shooter who’s more skill-oriented than brawny. Losing the opening couple of weeks sure didn’t help him in a bid to get an immediate spot on the right side that now seems to include Sylvain Lefebvre and Kim Johnsson, both of whom played the left side last year. Add Stephane Quintal, Jason Doig, Drew Bannister and Rich Pilon to the mix among a team carrying a dozen defensemen after yesterday’s return of 18-year-old sensation Filip Novak to Regina of the WHL.
“I wouldn’t think that Mottau would play in either of these two games on the trip,” Ron Low, whose team plays in Atlanta tonight and Dallas on Saturday, said. “I want to watch him for a while in practices.”
Mottau yesterday defined himself as a defenseman who, “reads the play, moves the puck and makes smart decisions.
So Mottau is here, but the possibility does remain that it might not be for long. Mottau still could decide not to sign what is mandated to be a two-way contract – the Rangers are believed offering a $75,000 minor-league guarantee – and go home. If he sits out the year without playing hockey anywhere, he will become an unrestricted free agent next summer.
“I’m here to play well and win a spot; play my hardest and hope for the best,” Mottau said. “I’m optimistic that the negotiations will go well and that I’ll sign. Going home isn’t something I want to do, but it’s something I still could do if I feel that I have to.”
