Reports from MLive reveal that the Red Wings are in fact interested in signing Russian all-star winger Alexander Radulov – Under one condition.
The Red Wings don’t appear to be interested in giving Radulov a multi-year deal due to his prior demeanor:
They believe signing him to a one-year deal, likely in the $4 million to $5 million range, would limit their risk, a source said. Radulov might be more motivated to prove himself and earn a longer contract and the Red Wings could part with him after one season if the move backfires.
My gut tells me that this is likely a safe bet for the Wings. If they go out there and commit $10 million to Radulov over the next two years, and he turns out to be a jerk like he has in the past, it could be parasitic to an already flawed roster. If they can convince the guy to take a one-year deal on a “show me” basis, then the Red Wings would likely happily reward him with a two-year deal after his one year has concluded.
There is still news to be heard about Pavel Datsyuk’s situation, which can certainly affect the Radulov sweepstakes. Any way you look at it, The Red Wings have plenty of time to negotiate with Radulov’s term.
Update:
Dreger/Radulov: Number of teams interested. “Belief is the #RedWings are comfortable at a one-year deal, at around $4 million, but…” 1/2
— Chris Nichols (@NicholsOnHockey) June 3, 2016
Dreger/Radulov: “… A couple of NHL sources have indicated he wants two years at $7.5 million per.” 2/2
— Chris Nichols (@NicholsOnHockey) June 3, 2016
Nichols went on to clarify that Dreger did indeed say PER year instead of TOTAL, so if that’s the case, then my personal feeling is “hahaha ok bye” – J.J.
