BUFFALO, NY — After an exciting night in day one of the 2016 NHL Draft where the Red Wings traded Pavel Datsyuk’s contract to the Arizona Coyotes, the inevitable started to happen. Darren Dreger of TSN gave his thoughts about impending free agent Steven Stamkos:
Dreger/Stamkos: I believe the #RedWings are going to table an offer seven years in length “and at least $10 million per year.” #TBLightning
— Chris Nichols (@NicholsOnHockey) June 25, 2016
From what we have heard, the Red Wings will likely offer Stamkos a seven-year contract to the tune of around $10 million per year. There’s some speculation from the fanbase that perhaps this could be a bad idea, but general manager Ken Holland has made it abundantly clear that the team wants to sign an impact forward. Stamkos’ name continues to float around Detroit among members of the media.
When the Red Wings traded Pavel Datsyuk’s contract, they packaged it up with the 16th overall pick, and sent that to Arizona for 20th overall, 53rd overall, and Joe Vitale’s contract (a player who will miss next season due to concussion-like symptoms.) It was considered the trade of the day, as Ken Holland came out on top removing Datsyuk’s $7.5 million worth of dead money without giving up an asset like Tomas Jurco, or Teemu Pulkkinen. The Red Wings now have flexibility to make a splash in free agency later this summer.
Don’t forget that you can tune into the Draft results in real time with SB Nation’s Draft Tracker:
