Detroit Red Wings Sign Robbie Russo
The Detroit Red Wings have officially announced the contract for young defenseman Robbie Russo, bringing him back for another two years. The two-way deal will earn him $650K each season in the NHL. The 24-year old will remain a restricted free agent at the end of the contract.
Russo made his NHL debut last season, playing 19 games down the stretch for the Red Wings after another impressive run in the minor leagues. Unfortunately, his offensive game didn’t come with him to the NHL and he was held scoreless. He’ll look to break through and show off his puck distribution skills this season, but a spot isn’t locked up at this point.
The Red Wings brought in Trevor Daley in free agency, and still have at least six other NHL-level defensemen on the roster. With the team pushed right up against the salary cap, a player like Russo who is still waivers-exempt will likely be a casualty in camp. He’ll have to wait for an injury or a transaction to open a spot for him this season.
Red Wings Sign Defenseman Robbie Russo
- The Detroit Red Wings have agreed to a two-year deal with defenseman Robbie Russo. Contract specifics are unknown at this time, but expect the dollar amount to be near league minimum as Russo had little leverage as a 24 year-old RFA. [update: The Athletic’s Craig Custance reports that the deal is a two-year, two-way deal worth $650k/$125k and $650k/$250k] Russo split time between Detroit and its AHL affiliate Grand Rapids Griffins. He went scoreless in 16 NHL games but put up 7G and 25A in 58 AHL games. Russo will have a hard time cracking the Red Wings lineup initially—the team has six defenseman making over $1MM annually each—but could battle for the 7th spot with other defensive prospects.
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Andreas Athanasiou Still Talking To KHL Teams
The Detroit Red Wings have yet to sign their young restricted free agent Andreas Athanasiou, and they could be about to lose him overseas. We’ve previously reported that Athanasiou had received a contract offer from the KHL, and now Darren Dreger of TSN reports that he’s “in ongoing discussions” with Russian teams. Dreger states that unless there is a change in negotiations with Detroit, the speedy forward will likely sign in the KHL for 2017-18.
It was assumed by many that the KHL offer was just a leverage tactic of agent Darren Ferris, brought up to force the Red Wings to increase their offer after Athanasiou’s breakout campaign. It still could be, but the closer we get to training camp the more real the threat becomes. The KHL deal is expected to be much higher than Ken Holland and the Red Wings are offering.
Athanasiou scored 18 goals last season but has been criticized in the past for an apparent lack of effort and passive play in his own end. While he possesses game-breaking speed that can create offense on a moment’s notice, there have been too many times it disappeared entirely from games. He faced discipline in the form of healthy scratches at times this year, but is still an important piece to the Detroit puzzle going forward. For a team that is dangling somewhere between a bubble playoff team and a full rebuild, losing offense and youth in one swing would be painful. Though, as we’ve mentioned before in our live chats it would give the team a bit of financial relief, while still holding Athanasiou’s rights.
Kris Draper Comments On Picking Rasmussen Over Vilardi
Detroit’s decision to select Michael Rasmussen with the ninth overall selection back in June over Gabriel Vilardi raised some eyebrows. However, a big part of the decision to do so stemmed from the fact that Rasmussen spent most of last year at center (a position they were targeting) while Vilardi was primarily a winger, Red Wings Assistant to the GM Kris Draper told Craig Custance of The Athletic (subscription required). Vilardi wound up going two spots later to the Kings.
While many teams will say they’ll simply look for the best player available, there’s a good case to make that the Red Wings needed a center back at the draft. Dylan Larkin and Andreas Athanasiou have both played the position in the past but have had more success in the NHL on the wing which has resulted in them not having a lot of prospect depth down the middle. Although he has pro size already, Rasmussen is likely still a couple of years away from seeing action in Detroit but should complement a good group of young wingers when he does make it.
Evening Notes: Zetterberg, Shipachyov, Pickard
The Detroit Red Wings are getting ready to start another season shortly and while many aren’t expecting an impressive season from this team, the team still has eyes for the playoffs. MLive’s Ansar Khan answers some mailbag questions about the upcoming season and points out that with the combination of gritty veterans and young talent, the team may show some promise. The scribe writes to expect 36-year-old veteran Henrik Zetterberg to center Tomas Tatar and Gustav Nyquist, who were their top line at the end of last year. The belief is that Tatar and Nyquist should benefit from Zetterberg’s presence to build their confidence early in the season.
He added that Dylan Larkin looks ready to take over as the team’s second-line center and be matched with Anthony Mantha, who scored 17 goals in his first full season. Justin Abdelkader might be a good fit to fill out that line. The third line would Frans Nielsen, Darren Helm and Andreas Athanasiou, if the restricted free agent signs with the team. Luke Glendening, Riley Sheahan and Tyler Bertuzzi are the likely candidates on the fourth line, assuming things don’t change much in training camp.
- The Las Vegas Review-Journal’s David Schoen writes that the team will be counting heavily on the success of Russian veteran Vadim Shipachyov this season. The 30-year-old forward was the third-leading scorer in the KHL last year with 26 goals and the team believes that if he can make the conversion to the NHL successfully, the Golden Knights might be better than many believe when it comes to offense. The team already has James Neal, Jon Marchessault, Reilly Smith, David Perron and the hope is Shipachyov will be that top-line player that opens up the offense.
- In the same story, Schoen adds that he wouldn’t be surprised if Golden Knights’ goaltender Calvin Pickard makes a name for himself, possibly even this season. While starting goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury has received all the press and has become the face of the franchise, Pickard is just 25 years old and was a second-round pick in 2010. He was considered a top prospect before he struggled in a full-time role for the struggling Colorado Avalanche last year. His 2.98 GAA left a lot to be desired. However, Fleury is already 33 and while he was impressive in the playoffs for the Penguins, didn’t have a great year as the backup, putting up a 3.02 GAA for the year in 38 games. If Pickard can re-establish himself in Las Vegas, he could find himself getting big minutes.
What Might Mike Green's Next Contract Cost?
Red Wings defenseman Mike Green is the highest paid blueliner that is currently slated to hit the open market next summer with a salary and cap hit of $6MM. Craig Custance of The Athletic (subscription required) spoke with an agent regarding what Green’s next contract should cost. Although Green doesn’t exactly have the reputation of being a particularly strong defensive player, he has consistently been a strong offensive producer and between that and his right-handedness, he could still be in line for a contract around $4.5MM.
Detroit already has just shy of $20MM committed to their back end for 2018-19 as things stand so locking Green up on a new deal wouldn’t allow them much flexibility in terms of trying to upgrade what is already not a strong unit. Accordingly, if they find themselves out of the playoff race by the trade deadline, it wouldn’t be surprising to see the Red Wings offer him up as a rental player.
Vancouver Canucks Sign Thomas Vanek
One of the long free agent waits of the offseason is finally over; the Vancouver Canucks have signed Thomas Vanek to a one-year contract worth $2MM. The deal will come in at a lower amount than his $2.4MM pact with the Detroit Red Wings from last season, even after Vanek put up a solid 48-point season. He’ll hit the open market once again next summer.
[Related: Updated Canucks Depth Chart]
Teams who want a little extra offense and are close to the playoffs could have used Vanek’s powerplay and shootout prowess in a sheltered role, but another option was always a team like Vancouver signing him only to flip him for an asset at trade time. Like Detroit last season, the Canucks could give Vanek ample opportunities to rack up points in the first half of the season, only to send him to a bubble team for a draft pick come February. Vanek netted the Red Wings a third-round pick (and Dylan McIlrath) last year, more than enough return for a relatively small amount of money.
The Canucks are in rebuild mode after struggling again last season, but have brought in several high upside players that could be used in this manner already this summer. Sam Gagner, Michael Del Zotto and Alexander Burmistrov could each fetch a solid return on the market either this year or next should they show any improvement, and Vanek could be much of the same. As the team waits out Daniel and Henrik Sedin‘s contracts and looks to build towards a future centered on Bo Horvat, Brock Boeser, Olli Juolevi and Elias Pettersson, signing tradeable assets can only accelerate the process.
Horvat’s extension now enters the spotlight, as the team will have somewhere around $7MM in cap space depending on which forwards they move off the roster before the season starts. They currently have 15 forwards on one-way contracts, not including Horvat or Boeser, who is expected to stay with the team all year. While there likely will be some injuries in training camp, it does look like Vancouver will have to make a move or try and sneak a few players through waivers.
Rick Dhaliwal of News 1130 first got confirmation that the Canucks were “in the mix” on Vanek.
Thomas Vanek Considering Several Options
We haven’t heard much about the interest in Thomas Vanek this summer, as the talented offensive forward remains unsigned now through August. Today though, Michael Russo of the Star Tribune caught up with Vanek, who says he’s looking at a few options including waiting for the Detroit Red Wings. Vanek admits that he’ll have to make a final decision soon.
As we’ve looked at in the past, Vanek doesn’t have the same incentive to delay a signing in order to play in the Olympics, as Austria didn’t qualify for the event. He told Russo that he’s not used to waiting this long for a contract, and it’s true; both of his last UFA contracts were signed on July 1st. There is likely several teams with interest, but it’s unclear what kind of guarantee the 33-year old will receive.
Remember that since Vanek played all of last season and isn’t 35 yet, he’s ineligible for any incentive-based contract, meaning he’ll have to settle for whatever salary is offered to him. Though teams are well aware of his offensive upside, he isn’t a strong skater and comes with considerable defensive deficiencies. Teams that have considerable depth could likely shelter his minutes to get out positive production, or rebuilding squads could use him as trade deadline bait like Detroit last season. The Red Wings received a third-round pick and Dylan McIlrath for Vanek at the deadline last season, and could pull off a similar deal this year should he sign with them once again.
Agent: Athanasiou’s KHL And NHL Offers Very Different
Ansar Khan of Mlive reports that still-unsigned RFA Andreas Athanasiou‘s agent told Mlive that there is a “considerable difference in the amount of money” between offers from the Detroit Red Wings and KHL clubs. Athanasiou is coming off his ELC and looking for a significant raise.
Last season Athanasiou scored 18G and 11A in 64 games in just his second NHL season. The year before he potted 8G and 5A in 37 games, while splitting time with Detroit and its AHL affiliate Grand Rapids Griffins.
Previous reports indicate that Athanasiou is considering signing in the KHL if he cannot obtain a satisfactory contract in the NHL, but some think the KHL threats are mere posturing. Red Wings GM Ken Holland said that the team has made multiple offers based on who the organization felt were comparable player contracts. Detroit also faces a cap crunch that makes things even more difficult. Right now the Red Wings exceed the salary cap by approximately $3MM, though will gain around $3.9MM once the season starts and the team places injured Johan Franzen on LTIR.
David Booth Expected To Sign PTO With Detroit Red Wings
In a day filled with professional tryout signings, Craig Custance of The Athletic reports that another one is close at hand. David Booth is expected to sign a PTO with the Detroit Red Wings, marking a possible return after two years in the KHL.
Booth last played in the NHL with the Toronto Maple Leafs in 2014-15, scoring 13 points in 59 games. That was a far cry from his career-high of 31 goals and 60 points, marks he registered in a dream 2008-09 season with the Florida Panthers. Two other seasons he recorded 40+ points, but those years seem like ages ago for the 32-year old. Last year he scored just ten points in 31 games for Omsk including their playoff run, and he’ll have to show that he’s both healthy and contributing in order to get a contract from the Red Wings.
Custance also notes that Danis Zaripov, the suspended KHL winger looking for work in the NHL has been connected to the Red Wings, and that his vacancy from Ak Bars may have caused them to reach out and offer Andreas Athanasiou a contract. Zaripov was cleared to sign with an NHL team yesterday, but finds himself looking for a guarantee after teams have already built their rosters.