Detroit Red Wings Still A Possibility For Thomas Vanek
We’ve heard it all summer, but Helene St. James of the Detroit Free Press reports that the Red Wings are still in contact with Thomas Vanek about a potential return. Vanek’s agent Steve Bartlett told St. James that the team remains in the “possibility range” though other teams have increased interest recently. The team will likely have to make a roster move of some sort to get under the salary cap if Andreas Athanasiou does eventually sign—something that many of our readers doubt at this point—and would need to work even harder to fit Vanek in.
Vanek remains one of the more inexplicable free agent cases this summer, still without a job despite scoring 48 points in 68 games last season. His defense and lack of foot speed is clearly a sticking point, but many teams could use his offensive punch in various situations. The fact that he remains one of the better shootout specialists in the league is just a bonus, but one that can be worth real points in the standings.
If Vanek did return to Detroit, you’d have to expect he would be a trade candidate at the deadline again. With the Red Wings unlikely to really compete for a Stanley Cup, Vanek could net them another draft pick this year. As we’ve discussed previously, Vanek has no Olympic motivation since Austria did not qualify for the tournament last summer.
Red Wing Notes: Athanasiou, Helm, Nielson, Svechnikov
A few days ago, PHR reported that Detroit Red Wings winger Andreas Athanasiou is receiving interest in signing a one-year deal with the KHL as he and the team struggle to sign a new deal. MLive’s Ansar Khan answers mailbag questions for readers and quickly points out that it is a legitimate possibility that he signs a deal in the KHL, although it’s still more likely he stays in Detroit and signs before training camp begins.
While the Red Wings have handed out some major contracts over the past few years to free agents, the team must take a hardline approach with Athanasiou because they have other young players they must lock up in the future, including Anthony Mantha and Dylan Larkin. Most hockey players don’t start making the big money until their third contract, so it’s unlikely the team will break the bank to bring Athanasiou back on a big deal.
Khan adds that if Athanasiou does leave for Russia, the team does have several options. While Athanasiou was the team’s second-leading goal scorer with 18 goals in just 64 games, he’s still a developing player, having scored just nine goals in 37 games during his rookie campaign. Many Red Wings players had down years last year and the Red Wings have high hopes to see some of their veterans bounce back this year. Much of Athanasiou’s production could be filled by increased production by Gustav Nyquist, Justin Abdelkader, Riley Sheahan and Larkin. The other possibility is that the team inks Thomas Vanek in such a situation, assuming he’d agree to ink a one-year deal and the team can move out some salary to make that deal work.
- In the same mailbag, Khan writes that there is little chance the Red Wings could take advantage of the Pittsburgh Penguins need at center and move out the contracts of either Darren Helm or Frans Nielsen. He writes that both contracts remain too long and too expensive to trade off to a desperate team. Helm’s deal still has four years at $3.85MM per year, while Nielsen’s is even worse with five years remaining at $5.25MM per year.
- Khan adds that 2015 first-round pick Evgeny Svechnikov would not be a likely candidate to make the team this year as he is still not ready for a full-time NHL role yet. He writes that he believes he needs another full year at the AHL level with the Grand Rapids Griffins. He scored 20 goals and 31 assists for the Griffins last year in 74 games.
Red Wings Expect Tyler Bertuzzi To Make Opening Roster
Although he had only a minor role with the Red Wings last season and has waiver exemption remaining, the team expects winger Tyler Bertuzzi to break camp with the big club in October, writes Helene St. James of the Detroit Free Press. Bertuzzi played in just seven games with Detroit in 2016-17 and averaged just nine minutes per game but played quite well with AHL Grand Rapids in the playoffs where he collected 19 points (9-10-19) in 19 contests.
St. James adds that there are those in the organization who believe the 22-year-old would be best suited to start in the minors once again but both GM Ken Holland and head coach Jeff Blashill are among those who would like to see him start with the Red Wings. The fact that Bertuzzi is on a league minimum contract will certainly help his case considering their current salary cap situation. However, because of that and his waiver exemption, there’s a good chance that Bertuzzi will be forced to go back and forth a lot during the year in an effort to open up a bit of wiggle room during the season.
Poll: Where Will Thomas Vanek Wind Up?
The results of yesterday’s poll, “Will Jaromir Jagr or Thomas Vanek Play in the NHL This Year?“, have been an overwhelming “yes”. So far, more than 71% of voters think both will play, while the next highest scoring option was that Vanek will play, with close to 14%. While the idea of Jagr’s NHL career being over seems impossible to many, it has been relatively quiet for the future Hall of Famer this off-season, with the only recent news being whispers of interest coming out of Calgary. Vanek, on the other hand, has reportedly seen an uptick in interest of late and has ties to many teams across the league. So, the question then becomes, assuming Vanek plays in the NHL this year, where will he end up?
The most recent rumors have connected Vanek with the Vancouver Canucks. A team that seems unsure of its direction, the Canucks have added several veteran pieces this off-season, like Sam Gagner and Michael Del Zotto, and seem determined to make a playoff push with the soon-to-be 37-year-old Sedins set to hit free agency next summer. Loui Eriksson did not work out on the top line with Henrik and Daniel last year, and trying Vanek out could make some sense. On the other hand, Vancouver has some young talent that could use a shot and, even with Vanek, the team stands little chance of reaching the postseason. The Canucks should be in full rebuild mode, but until management realizes that, adding a veteran like Vanek is a real possibility.
The other team who has long been rumored to be in contact with Vanek are the Detroit Red Wings. Another team that probably shouldn’t be adding veterans, the Red Wings also simply may not have the capacity to sign the veteran scorer, given their current cap overage and unfinished business with Andreas Athanasiou. Nevertheless, the rumors have hung around, as Vanek did seem to fit in nicely in Detroit last season. A return could be best for him, but it wouldn’t be the most logical decision for the team.
The Boston Bruins seem intent on giving their young players the opportunity to make the team this year. However, the team also kept in touch with free agent Drew Stafford this summer and seemed likely to offer him a contract or tryout deal once they had the David Pastrnak negotiations wrapped up. Pastrnak remains unsigned, but now Stafford is off the market, signing in New Jersey. The Bruins could now turn their attention to Vanek, who has historically been a thorn in the team’s side, to provide some depth and insurance on the wings if the prospects aren’t ready for regular roles just yet.
Then there’s the Arizona Coyotes, who are in desperate need of a right-shot winger, and could use some more veteran leadership up front as well. Yes, the ‘Yotes are still rebuilding, but they need to take the next step sooner or later. Vanek would bring a scoring boost and most of all some balance to the lineup and, with a league-high $19.3MM in cap space remaining, Arizona can certainly take a chance and pay Vanek what he’s asking. The fit makes sense, but does Vanek want to go to the desert? Will he have any other choice?
Finally, the San Jose Sharks lost Patrick Marleau this summer and his 46 points from last season and have only added Brandon Bollig and his zero points from last season to make up for it. That speaks for itself. Vanek would immediately be the Sharks’ biggest off-season acquisition and a great candidate to step in and replace Marleau in the top six.
So, what do you think? The response has been near total agreement that Vanek is staying in the NHL, but where exactly will he play?
Red Wings Re-Sign Colin Campbell To Two-Year AHL Deal
- The Red Wings have retained some depth at the minor league level as their farm team in Grand Rapids announced the re-signing of center Colin Campbell to a two-year deal. He signed an entry-level deal back with Detroit back in 2014 out of college but has been kept around on minor league deals since that ELC expired a year later. Last season, he had a career best 20 points in 56 games.
Detroit Red Wings Could Be Interested In Vanek Return
We saw Drew Stafford go off the board earlier today in a late-summer free agent signing, and now Darren Dreger of TSN told The Instigators on WGR 550 in Buffalo that he believes the Detroit Red Wings still have interest in bringing back Thomas Vanek.
Vanek’s name is at the top of the page. I think that Detroit legitimately does have interest in Vanek. Between Florida and the Red Wings he scored what, 17 goals last year? I think they’d like to add him, but at what cost—they don’t have a lot of cap space.
We’ve discussed many times the cap trouble that the Red Wings are in as they start their rebuild, but there remains this underlying hope that the team can get back to the playoffs this year. Vanek could legitimately help that cause, and be a potential trade deadline flip should the Red Wings fall out of it again. The team would likely need to make a subsequent move in order to fit him in.
Detroit's Cap Situation Not Affecting Athanasiou Talks
Although the cap situation for the Red Wings is far from ideal as they currently project to be over the cap heading into the season, that doesn’t appear to be a big factor in the lack of progress being made in talks with winger Andreas Athanasiou, notes MLive’s Ansar Khan. Instead, the scribe suggests that it’s their salary structure that may be playing a big role.
While the 23-year-old is coming off of an 18 goal season, this was his only full NHL campaign. Accordingly, while Athanasiou is looking to be paid based off of that type of production, Detroit GM Ken Holland may be hesitant to give the type of money he’s looking for with as small of a track record as he has. There’s no word as to what offers are on the table but Khan speculates that a two-year bridge deal worth around $1.5MM per year may be close to what the Red Wings have put forth.
Yesterday, it was reported that Athanasiou is considering a one-year offer in the KHL. His agent, Darren Ferris, classified the offer as “significant”. Between that and the potential to play in the Olympics, it certainly stands to reason that this could be a bit more than just an attempt at getting some leverage in talks with the Red Wings. If he were to go overseas, Detroit would retain his rights.
Potential Trouble With Andreas Athanasiou Contract Talks
7:35pm: Craig Custance of The Athletic confirmed with Athanasiou’s agent that he indeed has been offered a one-year contract from a KHL team and is considering it.
5:31pm: The Detroit Red Wings have one restricted free agent left to sign in Andreas Athanasiou, but according to Rick Dhaliwal of News 1130 in Vancouver, those talks might not be going so well. Dhaliwal reports that there is a possibility Athanasiou signs in the KHL instead, as negotiations are “going nowhere.” Obviously, these kind of threats are often leaked to the media in order to create leverage but it is interesting that there has been little said from either side on their negotiations throughout the summer. Athanasiou was not arbitration eligible, and is coming off a breakout 18-goal season.
Ironically, having Athanasiou sign in Russia could actually help the Red Wings in the short term, as the club is pressed right against the cap for the upcoming season. While they have potential savings in the form of Johan Franzen‘s incoming LTIR placement, an Athanasiou contract would force them to make a different move. If he signed in Russia, his rights would be maintained without a cap hit.
The 23-year old forward played 64 games for the Red Wings this year, recording 29 points and showing off his elite speed to create offensive chances out of relatively innocuous looking rushes. That dynamic ability makes him a valuable asset, but there were also some warts to his game. Whenever he was given the chance to play center he performed poorly on the defensive side of the game, and there were clashes with head coach Jeff Blashill at times over his competitiveness.
It has to be said that there is still plenty of time to work out a contract before the season starts, and that things can change easily at any time. Still, if Athanasiou ever decides to look elsewhere for a playing opportunity, it would come with a likely roster spot with Team Canada at the Olympics. There would also be plenty of interest in the KHL and European leagues for a player of his caliber, giving him some leverage in his negotiations.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
Henrik Zetterberg Discusses Retirement
Though he had quite the renaissance last season with the Detroit Red Wings, Henrik Zetterberg‘s NHL career may be coming to an end in the next few years. Zetterberg discussed his possible retirement with Aftonblat in Sweden, admitting that the last two years of his 12-year contract with the team were only put in to lower the cap hit. The years—2019-20 and 2020-21—would earn Zetterberg just $2MM total, or less than 3% of his total contract value.
Zetterberg says that he still takes things one year at a time and that he wouldn’t commit to retirement after the 2018-19 season, but that he likely won’t spend the last two years of the contract in the NHL. He’ll play this season at age-37, but did show an incredible ability to perform at an advanced age last year. In 82 games he recorded 68 points, his highest total since 2011-12.
The 12-year contract was signed before rules clamped down on these types of extensions, but it actually will see his salary drop to just $3.35MM in 2018-19 and then $1MM for each of the remaining two seasons. That comes despite a $6.1MM cap hit due to his normal salary that has ranged between $7-7.5MM per season. That drop means that Zetterberg won’t be giving up much money if he retires early, but it will have dire consequences for the Red Wings. The NHL instituted rules to prevent and punish the contracts that were signed taking advantage of the average annual salary loophole, meaning that Detroit would face cap recapture penalties should he retire following the 2018-19 season.
Zetterberg would cause nearly a $5.1MM recapture penalty in each of the last two seasons, making his retirement sting even more for the Red Wings. We recently went deep on the Red Wings’ cap situation, which doesn’t look pretty even with the team struggling at the bottom of the standings. Cap recapture penalties would just be icing on the proverbial cap problems cake.
Red Wings Notes: Playoff Push, Mrazek, Sproul, McIlrath
Whether for good or bad, the Detroit Red Wings have continued on their pursuit for reaching the playoffs despite having one of the highest payrolls with the least production. After not reaching the playoffs, many believed it was time to rebuild the “great franchise,” but that is not the course it took as it made few moves to fix their aging, yet expensive roster and only added more veterans to it with the hopes that many of their veterans would bounce back this year.
MLive’s Ansar Khan took questions regarding the team path, pointing out that the Red Wings brass have no interest in a team rebuild and are going all-out to reach the playoffs again. His belief is the team has no confidence that their youth can outperform the veterans that are already on the team. The team may have little choice as they are even now over the cap and have very few tradeable contracts at present, but things may change if the Red Wings put up a second disappointing season next year.
- Petr Mrazek should be especially motivated this season as he enters his contract year. Once considered to be their starting goaltender of the future, the 24-year-old has struggled over the last year and a half, according to Khan. He finished last year with a 3.04 GAA and a .901 save percentage, losing his job to veteran Jimmy Howard. He then was exposed to the expansion draft and not selected by Vegas. Khan believes if he doesn’t step up this year, the Red Wings will not make him a $4MM qualifying offer, making him an unrestricted free agent in 2018.
- The Red Wings, which have nine defensemen currently under contract, are likely to shed 24-year-old Ryan Sproul before the seasons begin, assuming there are no injuries. That should get them down to eight defenders and the general belief is that Luke Witkowski will be moved to play the forward position as a fourth-line wing or the 13th man. He would only play defense in emergencies.
- Khan also writes that minor league defenseman Dylan McIlrath, acquired in March from the Florida Panthers, is not a likely candidate to make the Detroit roster. The former 2010 first-round pick has struggled to stay on an NHL roster long-term and while he brings a physical presence the team desperately needs, it’s more likely the team brought Witkowski in to play that same role. McIlrath has only played in 43 NHL games in his career.