Detroit Hockey Now’s Kevin Allen believes that the Red Wings will have approximately $7.5 million in salary cap space when the season begins, and here’s why:
According to Capfriendly.com, the Red Wings have $10.296 million in cap space remaining with restricted free agents Filip Zadina and Jake Walman still to sign.
Walman filed for arbitration. He made $750,000 last season and could earn $1 million or more for this season.
The low-end comparable players earn $1 million and the high-end comparable is probably someone like defenseman Niko Mikkolo, who received a one-year deal from the St. Louis Blues for $1.9 million. Both Mikkola and Walman are 26. Walman has played 76 NHL games and registered 12 points, while Mikkolo has 88 games and 17 points.
Zadina does not have arbitration rights. His comparables are all over the map, although his best comparable may be Arizona’s Barrett Hayton. Both players had 24 points last season, although Hayton did it in 14 fewer games. Hayton is also a restricted free agent and hasn’t yet signed.
The low-end comparable for Zadina is Detroit’s Michael Rasmussen who is at $1.46 million AAV for a three-year contract he signed after the 2020-21 season. Of course, Rasmussen is now a more productive player.
…
If Walman signs for $1 million and Zadina comes in at $1.8 million for two years. that would leave the Red Wings at roughly $7.5 million under the cap. That number will rise if Robby Fabbri stays on LITR (Long-term Injured Reserve) for a lengthy period.
