Pageau reveals his relief and commitment to the Islanders after securing his future, prioritizing family and the team's direction.
Shortly after acquiring Brayden Shenn from the St. Louis Blues, the New York Islanders announced that they had signed pending unrestricted free agent Jean-Gabriel Pageau to a three-year extension worth $4.85 million annually.
General manager Mathieu Darche made it clear that he saw what the market was for a center of his caliber, and he was able to reach an extension agreement that benefited the Islanders and Pageau.
The Hockey News spoke with Pageau following Thursday's practice about signing his new deal.
"I wanted to be here,' Pageau said with a grin. "Sometimes you put on a strong face, but it’s nice to have that relief and know your future.
"My wife is happy here, I love my teammates, I love the organization, and I like where the team is going. So why not stay and take that mental aspect out of it so you don’t have to think about it anymore?"
Fair point, Pageau. Fair point.
Was he confident that an extension would get done, whether it was mid-season or before free agency opened on July 1?
"I tried to control what I could control," Pageau said. "I didn’t know how things were going to go, especially with the center market and everything like that.
"But I’m happy we were able to find an agreement. The discussions were honest leading up to it, so it wasn’t really a surprise."
Pageau is in the final season of a five-year, $5 million-per-year deal.
Through 57 games this season, Pageau had 15 goals and 15 assists for 30 points, winning 60 percent of his face-offs, averaging 15:31 minutes per game as the third-line center.