Although the team has yet to officially announce anything, the Digger Corps is all over news that the Wings have agreed to a one-year contract extension.
Let’s go with MLive’s Ansar Khan for source material here because his had the most info to read into packed into one Tweet.
Wings and backup goalie Jonas Gustavsson agree on 1-year deal, Ken Holland confirms. No decrease in salary, so $1.5 million or higher.
— Ansar Khan (@AnsarKhanMLive) June 19, 2014
Yeah, “No decrease,” – “$1.5 million or higher.“
Chuck Pleiness seems to have read Holland a bit differently or he’s simply more sure of what he heard because according to the Wingsfrontman, it’s definitely an increase.
Gustavsson won’t get a decrease in his $1.5 million salary from last year but an increase.
— Chuck Pleiness (@wingsfrontman) June 19, 2014
We certainly won’t know exactly how much the extension is before it’s officially announced, and we certainly know the team isn’t going to announce that because they never do. Somehow the amount always magically leaks out of somewhere; we’ll share that as soon as we hear it from somebody reputable.
Also of note, Gustavsson had a modified NTC on his last two year deal. I’m looking forward to seeing if he got another one (hope: no, expectation: yes).
Gustavsson had a strong start for the Wings last year, but injuries and inconsistencies caught up to him, driving his save percentage down to .907%, which in fairness is the highest he’s ever put up in the NHL over the course of a season. Despite that, the team results based crowd loved him because he was 16-5-4, a record without which the Wings almost certainly miss the playoffs.
Personally, I don’t see this move as being most-beneficial. I think the Wings would be better served to have Petr Mrazek backing up/challenging Jimmy Howard next season full time. I’m glad that it’s only one year for Gustavsson, but it’s one year where he’s going to be chewing up more cap space than Mrazek by $1M or more. It’s also important to note that Petr Mrazek is set to be a restricted free agent next summer.
Here’s to hoping that the special (unproven) ability of a goaltender to make the team play better in front of him continues for another season.
