The Free Press’s Helene St. James discusses the impasses between the Red Wings’ management and restricted free agents Lucas Raymond and Moritz Seider this morning, wondering aloud whether the players might miss part or all of the Red Wings’ training camp:
Nothing leaks from the front office of general manager Steve Yzerman, and when asked last month, all coach Derek Lalonde said was he wasn’t worried. There’s also Chris Ilitch to consider, as ownership tends to have to approve big deals.
The way Raymond, 22, played in the final stretch last season certainly helped his argument. He figures to slot in around $7.5 million.
The Wings would prefer not to pay anyone more than the $8.7 million salary cap hit of captain Dylan Larkin, but Seider is a 23-year old defenseman who won the Calder Trophy in 2022. He plays in all situations – as Yzerman said in April: “We’re asking him to do a lot.”
And that’s why Seider can ask a lot as he segues from his entry-level deal ($863,334 annually for the past three years) to one that will make him a multimillionaire. The Buffalo Sabres are paying 24-year-old Rasmus Dahlin $11 million per year and Owen Power, who is 21, is about to start a seven-year contract with an $8.35 million cap hit.
Seider has not missed a game since entering the NHL, with his streak reaching 246 games. During that run, he has 21 goals and 113 assists; 53 of his 134 points have come during power plays. This season, he reached a career high with nine goals among 42 points; he was also the only NHL player with at least 200 blocks and 200 hits. Dahlin has 185 points in 239 career games.
St. James comes to a logical conclusion:
There’s still time for the Wings to get deals done. They’ve been negotiating for months, but as camp arrives and then the exhibition season, the urgency is going to grow. The Wings want to be competitive, and that’s not happening without Seider and Raymond in the lineup.
Myself, I would not pay Seider $11M… not saying he is asking or wants that.