https://www.sportscardforum.com/artic...-future-plans/

The curious timing of the announcement that restricted free agent Josh Gorges had signed a one-year contract with the Canadiens may be something of an ominous sign for the young defenceman’s future with the club. To announce the signing of a popular player, both in the dressing room and among a core segment of the team’s fanbase, so late on a Friday night is hardly the pomp and circumstance one would expect. There’s likely to be no media availability with general manager Pierre Gauthier, and with Gorges himself in Kelowna, BC, at the Kelowna Rockets Alumni Weekend most of his comments will likely be with local media. All of this amounts to a real head-scratcher for Canadiens fans.
Several well-known members of the Montreal media are Gorges fans. It did not take long for Mike Boone of the Gazette to start referring to him as “my man” during his live-game blogs, and the fact that Gorges is a very good locker room interview helps that relationship considerably. He’s articulate and thoughtful, and goes beyond the usual clichés one hears from many hockey players. It is to be considered legitimate, then, when Dave Stubbs said that Gorges really wanted to sign a long-term deal with the Canadiens this summer. In an era when many players are looking to cash in at the age of 27 when they hit unrestricted free agent status, Gorges was more than willing to sacrifice that opportunity for the long-term job security of playing in a city that he loves and that has given him the chance to blossom into an effective shutdown defenceman and penalty-killer.
It does bear mentioning that it is a good thing that the contract was signed in advance of the scheduled July 28th arbitration hearing. These hearings tend to be nasty and often harmful to the relationship between the player and his club. The player and his agent talk about the value the player brings to the organization and how he deserves to be compensated a certain amount for his work. The club brings forward a list of negatives about the player and how he should be compensated much less than the player believes he is worth. Often times, players that go to arbitration leave the club at the first possible opportunity after having their sense of value torn to shreds. While Gorges does bring a lot of leadership and intangible qualities to the Canadiens, the club can simply point to his lack of offensive output, injury history, and other tangibles to reduce his perceived value.

More at the link above.