The first (and most important) three days of free agency in the NHL are over, in between Marco Kasper also signed his entry-level deal.
LAOLA1 scout Bernd Freimüller takes a look at Detroit Red Wings activity and what the Austrian’s contract means for next season:
As expected, Red Wings General Manager Steve Yzerman has been very busy over the past few days. Overall, he signed nine new players, ten cracks left the organization.
The goalie position came before July 13 with Ville Husso from the St. Louis Blues, a man who can play Alex Nedeljkovic from the box. In addition, Yzerman signed World Cup MVP Juho Olkinuora more than a month ago, so he has an interesting troika. Prospect Sebastian Cossa can use it to acclimate to the AHL.
The defensive backbone has been found
On the defensive, Canucks draft flop Olli Juolevi (still without a new team) and Marc Staal (Florida Panthers) are gone. They were joined by Olli Määttä (LA Kings), Ben Chiarot (Florida Panthers) and Mark Pysyk (Buffalo Sabers). All experienced defensive defenders who might form the top 6 alongside Filip Hronek, Moritz Seider and Simon Edvinsson.
Seider (just awarded the Calder Trophy) and the smart Edvinsson will probably form the backbone of the Detroit defense for years to come. Jordan Oesterle and Gustav Lindstrom would probably be the next candidates if Edvinsson needs some time to adjust. With Määttä and Chiarot, Yzerman found two physically strong left-handers, which was also urgently needed.
Variations on offense
The search for a center behind top man Dylan Larkin was also quickly over – Andrew Copp (as I foresaw) is considered an extremely reliable man with a good, but not outstanding offensive. This allows Pius Suter to slide backwards, maybe Michael Rasmussen will also take over the center role in the third line, Copp might (like almost every center) also slide onto the wing.
With Dominik Kubalik (albeit with a downward trend in Chicago) and David Perron (another newcomer with a St. Louis past), Yzerman committed two wings and PP experts with the potential for 20 to 30 goals this season, so that the Red Wings offensive ideally extend to three rows.
Tyler Bertuzzi, Jakub Vrana and Lucas Raymond are already seeded, but Filip Zadina is still hoping (perhaps for the last time) for an attacking breakthrough. An offensive team with interesting scoring potential, but very little physique.
There is still cap space
Larkin on financial focus
Foto: © getty
In terms of salary and contract length, Yzerman leaned furthest out of the window at Copp (five years, a total of almost 28 million) and Chiarot (four years, 19 million). Perron (9.5 million) and Kubalik (five million) are under contract for the next two years. Husso is three years old and almost 14 million in between.
Yzerman still has almost ten million cap space open, so he might add more if necessary. However, his most urgent task will be to persuade center one Dylan Larkin, who would be UFA from 2023, with a good offer to sign in order to avoid distraction during the course of the season. Bertuzzi, Suter and Nedeljkovic are also sailing towards UFA existence this year, so Yzerman will probably not issue any new contracts beyond this season.
Salary ceilings for Kasper
In addition to these immediate reinforcements, the Red Wings GM and his staff also found time to provide Marco Kasper with an entry-level contract. They also had to do this these days, as the deadline for this would have expired on July 15th.
There was nothing to negotiate – the NHL (950,000), AHL (82,500) and signing bonus (95,000) salary was simply the maximum limit for the eighth pick of the last draft. Compare the numbers for Marco Rossi: 925,000/80,000/92,500. The difference was simply an increase in the CBA since 2020.
There is only a gradation in the performance bonuses for the draft picks – in the best case Kasper can earn one million if all criteria are met, number 1 pick Juraj Slafkovsky 3.5 million. All just theoretical number games. The length of the contract (three years) and the two-way aspect are already specified for such contracts.
Red Wings too well positioned for an immediate NHL opportunity
What does this contract mean for the Austrian? The Red Wings now have authority over him, this contract trumps the one-year contract in Rögle. So Yzerman can decide where he plays next season.
In the NHL, AHL (as a first-round pick he should), but once more in the SHL or – which would be the most surprising variant – in the OHL with the Ottawa 67’s? There he would return from senior to junior hockey and make the least money. This variant would also require the consent of the Austrian.
However, the Red Wings are considered a very Europe-friendly organization and would certainly find an agreement with Rögle on a loan that would satisfy both sides. I don’t really see much room for the 18-year-old in the strengthened Red Wings squad, even the usual trial run of up to nine games (following which his first year of contract would be decisive) would surprise me.
After years of hardship, Detroit should once once more be heading towards a happy future – a future that sooner or later would also include Marco Kasper alongside Seider, Edvinsson and Raymond.
Text source: © LAOLA1.at
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