In Red Wings Land
ICYMI Steve Yzerman traded for Marc Staal last night. Detroit got Staal from the Rangers and a 2nd rounder in 2021 for future considerations. More on this:
Yzerman confirms the team is not bringing back Daley or Ericsson
— Max Bultman (@m_bultman) September 26, 2020
Does sound like Staal is projected to slot into the lineup as of now.
— Max Bultman (@m_bultman) September 26, 2020
Yzerman said the Red Wings are in position to do more deals like this in the future if they come along. There’s a lot of uncertainty in the NHL. The Red Wings could find teams that need cap space.
— Nick Cotsonika (@cotsonika) September 26, 2020
The Detroit Red Wings Don’t Need to Buy Anyone Out – The Hockey Writers
How so? Well, by the time the Red Wings start getting hit by that penalty, they should hopefully be on their way up from the basement. All of their top prospects will be off of their entry-level deals, meaning they’re going to get paid real money. The Red Wings will also have to give a raise to Larkin, while also paying any free agents they may have signed between now and then.
The extension of a cap hit on a buyout past he expiration of the contract isn’t a penalty, but the biggest argument here is that one million dollars can be the difference between having a competitive roster and not. There’s also an argument that buying out Nielsen could open a center spot for Rasmussen (or Veleno).
It’s not wrong that the Wings can probably better afford to waste more cap space on Abdelkader over a shorter period. I’m of the belief that Neilsen could find his career expiring on LTIR, which is sad but also just part of the business.
I suppose at the end of the day, I agree with the title, but I can easily see arguments for and against a buyout.
Around the NHL
Koivu undecided on retirement with Wild letting him become free agent – NHL.com
“I think there’s still a lot of questions for myself to make sure that it’s kind of the right, whatever it [is], if it’s the right thing to do in the future,” Koivu said Friday. “I think there’s some decisions that I’ve made and then some question marks that I still have, so as of right now I don’t want to say too much just because you don’t want to take words back, and I think individually I have to make sure that it’s very clear what I want from the future, and when the time is right, then to come out with it.”
I don’t think it’s the right fit, but what would you think about the possibility of the Wings giving Koivu the chance to solidify the forward corps for half a season while auditioning for contenders for one last potential cup run?
