If you missed this in the Catch-Up Post of Doom, Sportsnet has reiterated Elliotte Friedman’s remarks regarding Lucas Raymond and Moritz Seider, per the latest episode of 32 Thoughts:
The Detroit Red Wings came as close to a playoff appearance as a team could get, falling just short of the final spot and failing to make the post-season for the eighth consecutive year.
Though that will undoubtedly fuel the hunger of the Red Wings to finally break their drought this year, the team still has to sign restricted free agents Moritz Seider and Lucas Raymond to new contracts.
Despite the season fast approaching, little progress has been made between Red Wings general manager Steve Yzerman and the two promising youngsters and, according to Friedman, the GM isn’t ready to budge just yet.
“They’re good players, they’re important players, they’re the cornerstone of the Red Wings, but because they’re RFAs, Yzerman doesn’t necessarily have to bend unless something forces him to do so,” Friedman said.
Seider, who won the Calder Trophy as the league’s best rookie in 2022, has been a consistent 40-plus point producer in his three years in the league. Raymond enjoyed a breakout campaign in 2023-24, scoring 31 goals and 72 points in 82 games, and is due a pay raise.
“It’s pretty clear that right now Raymond and Seider are higher than Yzerman wants to go, and if he’s dug into his position, you need something to get him to move,” Friedman said. “Either you bend, or you wait for him to bend. To be honest, right now, it’s not a pressure point.”
It’s not unheard of for RFAs to miss time while awaiting a new contract. In 2021-22, Canucks stars Quinn Hughes and Elias Pettersson missed training camp and parts of the pre-season before signing their contracts and in that same year, Brady Tkachuk missed training camp, the pre-season and the season-opener with the Ottawa Senators.
Though the Red Wings still have some time, the clock is ticking for their young guns to put pen to paper on a new deal.
Check out the 1 hour and 21 minute mark to hear it for yourself.
Does Steve agree soon is question, I guess.
Just my gut feeling, but I think that this contractual process will reach its logical conclusion before the start of the regular season, for both players.