The Associated Press’s Stephen Whyno posted a fairly lengthy article in which he examines what big-market teams like the Philadelphia Flyers, Vegas Golden Knights, Montreal Canadiens and a certain Detroit Red Wings team could or could not do over the course of the first two days of free agency, all due to salary cap space–or the lack thereof.
Whyno’s main focus is on the Flyers, who weren’t able to woo now Columbus Blue Jackets forward Johnny Gaudreau due to their inability to clear space, and he talks about Vegas’ salary-dumping trades with Carolina before setting up Blue Jackets GM Jarmo Kekalainen’s successful pursuit of Gaudreau, but there’s a bit about the Red Wings in Whyno’s story, and it’s worth noting:
More expensive in the long term might be a half-empty arena in a sports-crazy town that has become apathetic about its hockey team. The climb back to relevance is just beginning for the Red Wings, who shelled out contracts worth more than $60 million on Wednesday alone.
It’s something GM Steve Yzerman — who built up the Lightning before leaving to go back to Detroit — was able to do because he managed the cap so well. Three years ago, he decided not to spend a lot of money and picked his spot.
“We have roster spots, we have cap space — there were players there that we felt would help us and not really deviate from what we’re trying to do, but also not necessarily give maximum term and maximum dollar to players,” Yzerman said. “With the cap situation the last couple of years, it has had an effect on what some teams can do and some teams want to do.”
Continued; what’s noteworthy about this? It’s the “national press’s” view of the Red Wings, as a team that has “tanked” (to use The Athletic’s Sean Shapiro has suggested) and is irrelevant right now.
We may disagree with this take regarding the team you and I feel strongly about, but fans, partisans and friends of the Red Wings don’t necessarily represent the representative take on the home team.
Has the shine come off the “Yzerplan?” Not according to the free agents who signed with Detroit. But the rest of the country seems to think that Yzerman is nursing a lame horse, and that’s…annoying.
