"I didn't really want to play contract years out because I never really wanted to have that stress. I always wanted the security of maybe take a little less and you get a deal done early and you have the security of it being done and you can just worry about playing hockey."
I find when you go into a season playing (without a contract), things matter. Your stats matter more. So, it doesn't just become about the team. When you're on term and you're on a contract, it can be all about the team and you can sacrifice whatever you need to to be part of the team. But in contract years, you can't do that. You have to be a little bit selfish."