Sunday morning round-up: on Raymond and Seider, an All-Michigan Team and big Erik Gustafsson

Of brief Red Wings-related note early this Sunday morning:

1. We both know that GM Steve Yzerman and the Red Wings’ management team want to get restricted free agents Lucas Raymond and Moritz Seider re-signed to significant contracts by the start of training camp this September, if not the start of the 2024-2025 regular season in early October at the latest.

I really enjoyed an article written by the Hockey News’s Connor Eargood on Saturday night. Eargood accurately estimates the start of training camp (Thursday, September 19th is probably the date), he explains how restricted free agents can hold out until 5 PM on December 1st as a final re-sign or sit-out-the-season deadline, and then he discusses the status of Detroit’s other restricted free agent, Jonatan Berggren:

As of publication, a Sept. 19 [training camp] start date leaves 54 days for the Red Wings to sign their restricted free agents. Again, that’s a whole lot of time left to get a deal done, and general manager Steve Yzerman will probably use a lot of it given he isn’t someone who negotiates with unnecessary urgency.

Training camp isn’t a hard deadline for the RFAs to sign. If there are any players who can join the team late and still be effective, its No. 1 defenseman Seider and last season’s leading scorer Raymond are probably among them. But in all likelihood, Detroit and the RFAs don’t want to tempt fate and see what that could look like.

We also know that Steve Yzerman isn’t constrained by human concepts like space and time (kidding!)…

But in all seriousness, I don’t think that the Red Wings want any of their restricted free agents to miss training camp or the exhibition season, so I’d strongly suggest that we’ll see one or two press releases from the team toward the end of this month.

I would expect one press release for both Raymond and Seider’s respective contracts, honestly…

And, as Eargood notes, at the end of last season, both Raymond and Seider at least expressed optimism regarding their status as remaining members of the organization long-term:

In his exit interview April 18, Seider spoke of his excitement to get a new contract done, saying “It’s the first time we can actually do something like that. I mean, I get both sides. In the end, it’s a business and I think I’m confident to say I think I’ll be a Red Wing for next year, and that’s what matters the most.”

Later, Seider elaborated by saying that he wants to be in Detroit long term, even if it takes multiple contracts to make it make sense for all parties. “I think it’s not a big secret, I want to be a Red Wing. I think I’m also confident enough that I could be a good asset for this organization, and that really matters for me. And I think then you can talk as long as you want about numbers and lengths and how long the contract could be, but if those two first part fit well — and they do — then I’m pretty confident we’ve got something done.”

Raymond played his cards a little closer to the vest, but he echoed the same sentiment in his own exit interview. Of his contract negotiations, he said, “I think I’ll leave that to my agents and the people around me helping me. As far as when a deal will get done, I don’t know. What I do know is that I love this team, I love the city and I want to be here. But as far as the other things, it’s kind of out of my control at this point.”

Ironically enough, Seider is represented by 4Sports’ Claude Lemieux–I’m not kidding here–while Raymond is represented by Creative Artists Agency (CAA) agent J.P. Barry.

Needless to say, it’s going to take the best of Yzerman, capologist/AGM Aaron Kahn and the rest of the Wings’ management team to hammer out contracts which sit within the $7-8 million range in terms of salary cap hits.

Regrettably, between the Sabres paying Rasmus Dahlin an $11 million deal and the recent contract in which the Flyers gave winger Travis Konecny a contract extension in the $8.75 million range, my gut feeling is that it’s going to be incredibly difficult to re-sign Raymond or Seider at or under captain Dylan Larkin’s $8.7 million salary, which is most likely to the team’s internal salary cap limit.

2. Speaking of Larkin, in the land of list-making as a source of discussion, Detroit Hockey Now’s Bob Duff suggests that, should one choose an “All-Michigan Team” of NHL’ers, both Dylan Larkin and Alex DeBrincat should make the cut:

Center: Dylan Larkin, Detroit Red Wings (Waterford)

Larkin led the Red Wings with 33 goals last season. It was his third successive 30-goal campaign. He led the club in goals in each of those seasons and in points in two of the past three seasons.

Larkin has averaged 72.33 points per season over that span, including a career-best 79 points in 2022-23.

…

Right Wing: Alex DeBrincat, Detroit Red Wings (Farmington Hills)

It’s a testament to DeBrincat’s scoring ability that he’s netted 27 goals in each of the past two seasons and they’ve been considered down seasons for him. Twice he’s netted 41 goals during a single campaign. He’s scored 36 power-play goals over the past three seasons. DeBrincat’s career shooting percentage is 15.5%.

Continued; Duff offers no surprises, naming Connor Hellebuyck the “All Michigan Team’s” goaltender, Zach Werenski and Jacob Trouba the team’s defensemen, and Kyle Connor the other forward.

3. Finally, the Free Press’s Helene St. James posted an emptying-the-notebook article in which she discusses new Wings defenseman Erik Gustafsson’s comments made during his introductory media appearance. The well-traveled defenseman has the unenviable task of attempting to replace Shayne Gostisbehere’s prodigious power play production:

Gustafsson’s arrival on the opening day of free agency on a two-year, $4 million deal was the result of events that shaped the Wings as they chased a playoff spot all the way to Game 82 only to come up short. The Wings needed a defenseman who could help ameliorate the offense lost when Shayne Gostisbehere signed elsewhere, and someone who was cheaper than Jake Walman, whose status as a healthy scratch down the stretch made his $3.4 million salary cap hit untenable.

Enter Gustafsson, a 32-year-old joining his eighth NHL team in a decade.

“I played with him a year in Chicago, he had 60 points,” Kane said earlier this month. “He was a key component to our power play. He was so deceptive up top. Really knows how to run the top. Maybe as good as anyone I’ve played with, to be honest.”

…

Gustafsson did record 60 points in 79 games back in 2018-19 while with the Chicago Blackhawks. The best he’s done since then, however, is 38 points in 61 games in 2022-23 with the Washington Capitals, who used him in a bigger role after John Carlson was injured. Last season, Gustafsson had 31 points in 76 games with the New York Rangers. He had a career-best 18 power play points in his 60-point season with the Blackhawks and had nine last season.

“I have been playing power play ever since I came over here,” Gustafsson said. “It’s something I like to do and something my game is. I like to run it from the blue line and try to get the puck to the forwards or shoot the puck and try to create lanes. I feel very confident in playing the power play.”

I’d estimate Gustafsson to be a 40-point-scorer at this point in his career, so it’s going to take a little more from Moritz Seider and Jeff Petry to get shit done, I mean the proper results, on the power play.

I’m still anticipating that the team will attempt to acquire a shut-down defenseman of some sort to spell Seider of some of his difficult defensive match-ups.

It’s pretty clear that it won’t be Jacob Trouba, due to his family circumstances (the New York Post’s Larry Brooks reported that Mrs. Trouba is in the middle of her medical residency in New York), but a second-pair, shut-down defender would be ideal.

Regrettably, there just isn’t anyone left with the ability to shut down opponents and play a physical style. It’s going to take a trade cap-wise and fit-wise to get ‘er done, and it may not happen until this season’s trade deadline.

There just aren’t a whole lot of defensemen who can both shut down opponents and play okay themselves out there, so the Wings’ options are going to be limited. Any ideas?