three guys to assist signs them before deadline.
Even though he is aware that he cannot re-sign every unrestricted free agent, general manager of the Detroit Red Wings Steve Yzerman is speaking with each one of them.
“We have interest in signing them, but I can’t guarantee we’ll sign any of them,” Yzerman told the media on Friday during a pre-draft meeting.
The salary cap situation is starting to have a significant impact on the Red Wings’ purchasing power as they move into the rebuilding phase.
“I believe it’s safe to say that a significant portion of our cap will be consumed by the contracts that Lucas Raymond and Moritz Seider have coming up,” Yzerman stated.
Yzerman has just over $27 million left over if you assume Jonatan Berggren, Albert Johansson, and Simon Edvinsson make the squad in the fall. Although Berggren isn’t signed, we budgeted about $800,000.
On long-term deals, Seider and Raymond might require Yzerman to pay about $17 million in cap space. The remaining five players don’t have much left, especially considering Patrick Kane’s likely market value of at least $5.5 million.
Continuing Communication With Kane
“Pat Brisson, who represents Patrick, and I have spoken,” Yzerman said. We’ve had follow-up conversations with all of our free agents—not just Patrick—to clarify my circumstances and get a sense of what they’re considering. Let’s keep in touch, we pretty much all agreed. It’s a busy week as well. It’s been a hard week not just finishing the draft but also attempting to fit some of these items in.
If Yzerman could sign Seider and Raymond first, this would be easier, but nothing seems to be approaching that point.
Yzerman remarked, “I guess I’m just gonna have to work around it.” “In the end, I’m powerless over anything. They will be completed on schedule. Although it would be ideal if they were finished, to be quite honest, I don’t think that will happen at this time. We will simply navigate around it and make decisions as we go, well aware that at some point we’ll attempt to enter into a contract with them or have plans to do so.
To free up more cap room, Yzerman might buy out a player or trade a veteran. The player that is most likely to move is defenseman Justin Holl. The three UFAs that the Red Wings appear to need or want the most are David Perron, Shayne Gostisbehere, and Kane.
