Of bummerific news note this afternoon:
1. ESPN’s Greg Wyshynski penned a list of teams that have improved, gotten worse, and are…even worse off…after this summer’s free agent frenzy, and Wyshynski suggests that the Red Wings might want to simply skip the 2018-19 campaign altogether:
Detroit Red Wings: The Wings brought back Mike Green (two years, $5.375) and Thomas Vanek (one year, $3M and hilariously a no-trade clause for one of the NHL’s most recently traveled players), and signed goalie Jonathan Bernier (three years, $3M AAV). But this is clearly a franchise waiting on its next wave of talent … perhaps in the lottery.
Elsewhere, the Sporting News’s Jim Cerny penned a column discussing the best and worst contracts on the books of each and every one of the NHL’s 31 teams, and his assessment leaves me scratching my head:
Detroit Red Wings
Best: Thomas Vanek was a nice fit in Detroit two years ago and now he’s back on a one-year $3 million contract with the Red Wings. That’s a decent contract for a consistent scorer coming off a 24-goal, 56-point season.
Worst: Not a lot to choose from here, but Andreas Athanasiou is a three-million a year player? Even understanding inflated bridge deals this seems like a lot for a skilled forward, though one that scored only 18 and 16 goals previous two seasons.
I’d argue that the Wings have far worse contracts on the books than Athanasiou’s “bridge deal,” but that’s just me.
I wonder if he was just writing about this year’s “bad deals.”
Two very different views.
This rebuild on the fly or whatever it is called today may work and it may not. No different than any rebuild. Kenny is taking a path less traveled, I do give him kudos for that. And I hope it works. For us fans more than anything.
Time will tell.
The Contract for AA is certainly not the worst Contract, this year or past years
The NTC alone should eliminate Vanek’s deal from the best list.
The 3M (a solid raise from last season) is a little iffy.
But compared to how much offensive pop he’s contributed
in pretty limited (if sheltered) time, he was probably
a little underpaid the last couple deals – possibly due to a bad rap for underperforming in the playoffs.
AA’s is not a worst deal or a best deal. But it’s affordable enough and offers a little short-term cost certainty if AA does break out and can help fetch a top-four D in the same age range.
At least this only the 2nd go around for Vanek. Mikael Samuelsson came back three times if I am correct. The last stint was a hot, stinky mess.
The 3M for Vanek was in fact a nice fat raise. Strange Holland gave him that much, it is so unHolland like (sarcasm). It’s not like Vanek has won a cup for the Wings (such as Cleary) or any other team for that matter. If the Wings want to trade him at the deadline, I wonder if the Wings eat some of that salary? You have a team vying for the Cup that needs scoring, but is up against the cap….. oh well.
I cannot wait to see what Larkin gets and how it affects the Wings cap.
fking Mikael Samuelsson. UGH.
lol, Sorry to bring him up.
BTW,
I like the AA deal. Holland does do well with RFA’s. It helps to have guidelines I guess, you cannot color outside the lines.