The Athletic’s Max Bultman filed a mailbag article this morning. In addition to discussing the Red Wings’ ultimate fate, he offers this take on the fact that Dylan Larkin and Tyler Bertuzzi have yet to sign contract extensions:
At what point might we become concerned that Larkin and Bertuzzi haven’t signed extensions? — Nezzy
There were many variations of this question asked last week, which makes sense: Other than Jake Walman’s arbitration hearing and Filip Zadina’s pending RFA status, extensions to Larkin and Bertuzzi are really the only pieces of business remaining for the Red Wings this summer.
Of course, if you asked Steve Yzerman, he’d probably tell you the Red Wings don’t need to get either done this summer. This is the same GM who got Steven Stamkos’ contract in Tampa Bay done at the 11th hour back in 2016, after all, and he’s not going to want to move up the hard deadlines any sooner than he has to.
But realistically, there has to be at least some concern if there’s no agreement by opening night. The threat of one (or both) players leaving as free agents next summer would then begin to loom, and if Detroit is outside the playoff picture come mid-January, Yzerman would be faced with some tough decisions on how to proceed.
The fact Larkin has a no-trade clause gives him protection there — and more leverage right now. That’s one of a few reasons I believe that deal will ultimately get done this summer. And my guess is, it comes in somewhere in the ballpark of the (cap-adjusted) Mika Zibanejad and Evgeny Kuznetsov contracts — both eight years at about 10.4 percent of the salary cap at the time they were signed. At the current cap, that would be around $8.6 million. Maybe it’s a little higher accounting for expected growth in the cap in coming years, or maybe it’s a little lower if Larkin just wants to get a deal done, but that’s the approximate range I’d expect.
But Bertuzzi does not have a no-trade clause, and if he and the Red Wings aren’t at least close on a longer-term extension by the start of the season, that’s when I’d start getting nervous.
In-season extensions do happen — Robby Fabbri just signed one in December — so even then, it’s not a five-alarm fire. But by February, it could become one if the Red Wings are out of playoff position. And if it were me, I’d want to avoid that altogether and get the situation resolved — whether by extension or by trade — before the puck drops on next season.
Continued (paywall)
