It's arbitration, it's supposed to be insulting. If Bratt doesn't want to sign long term with us & only wants a short term deal then f**k him. Why would you pay premium for a player you know wants out? You sign him right now for 1 year for the cheapest value possible then trade him next off season.
Uhhh....why would you pay a premium for a player you know wants out?
One, I don't see where you're getting that the person who you responded to's question said anything at all about paying a premium. Nor did it seem to imply.
Adding years on a deal doesn't necessarily mean it'll turn close to contract of highest paid by position echelon.
Two, why sign him if he wants out?
Well there are several obvious reasons. A few of which you hit on.
What I find more interesting is the obvious taking of the team's side/blaming the player for the friction existing between the two parties.
Is that an accurate assessment? I don't know a lot about the Devils situation so if that's your position, could you elaborate as to blame for the bad blood?
It seemed like this being the 2nd difficult negotiation despite his performance may have been the issue on the players side, left him feeling understandably unappreciated and not wanting to go through this every time his deal is up but again, I don't follow the team so I can't say for sure