Allen: Waiting on the NHLPA’s ‘arb’ cases

As Detroit Hockey Now’s Kevin Allen notes, today at 5 PM marks the deadline for NHLPA members filing to take their teams to salary arbitration, and two Red Wings players have arbitration rights:

Detroit Red Wings restricted free agents Joe Veleno and Jonatan Berggren have until today at 5 p.m. to decide whether to opt for arbitration to determine their next contract.

Often, opting for free agency brings the two sides together on a new contract. Only occasionally do players actually go through the arbitration process.

A source knowledgable about comparables and the arbitration process projected that Veleno (12 goals in 2023-24) would be in the $2 million range. AFP Analytics projects Veleno with a two-year deal at $1.98 million per season. AFP forecasts Berggren on a one-year deal worth $874,000. Young defenseman Albert Johansson, likely to make the Red Wings roster this season, recently signed for $775,000, but does not have the NHL experience that Berggren has.

Every dollar for these two contracts matters for the Red Wings who want to lock No. 1 defenseman Moritz Seider and 30-year Lucas Raymond into longer-term deals. Those two deals could cost $17 million or more, leaving Detroit with just over $3 million for Veleno and Berggren.

Arbitration decisions are based heavily on statistics and comparables. Berggren has 17 goals and 34 points in 76 career games. If a team “walks away” — in other words they reject it — the player becomes an unrestricted free agent.

The NHLPA will issue a press release later today about everyone who has filled for arbitration. Once an arbitration date is set for each case, the two sides usually start becoming serious about negotiating a new deal. Once an arbitration is finished, the arbitration will render a decision in 48 hours.

Quick link: A short picture story about Brandsegg-Nygard

Of very brief prospect-related note this morning: TV2 in Norway posted a story about Red Wings prospect Michael Brandsegg-Nygard and Anaheim Ducks prospect Stian Stolberg being drafted at this past weekend’s NHL Draft in Las Vegas. All of the story is about Stolberg’s development, but the pictures are of Brandsegg-Nygard’s draft experiences:

Three Red Wings-related ‘fantasy thoughts’

Three of Sportsnet’s Mike Amato’s “20 Fantasy Thoughts” discuss the Red Wings’ offseason machinations:

10. If it ain’t broke don’t fix it. Patrick Kane is back with the Detroit Red Wings, a place where he excelled a year ago and finally looked healthy again. Kane nearly posted a point per game and he really looked comfortable in Detroit’s top six. It wouldn’t shock me if Kane gets around 75 points once again, provided he avoids injury.

11. It feels like every season the Red Wings have the biggest logjam in goal and this year figures to be no different. Cam Talbot and Jack Campbell have joined Alex Lyon and Ville Husso to form what is the league’s most crowded crease. Lyon was pretty good last year but faded down the stretch and it seems like Detroit doesn’t fully trust him, while Husso struggled to stay healthy. Drafting either Talbot or Campbell also seems like a significant gamble. There’s probably a Zero G candidate in there somewhere as the Wings are a team on the rise, but good luck figuring out who it is.

12. Vladimir Tarasenko has scored 50 and 55 points respectively in the past two seasons, but now finds himself in a loaded Detroit top six. Does he become fantasy-relevant again?

Continued

Video: Red Wings to stream Summer Development Camp 3-on-3 tournament at 8:30 AM

Bright and early:

Update: Here are the four teams which are participating in the tournament:

Continue reading Video: Red Wings to stream Summer Development Camp 3-on-3 tournament at 8:30 AM

From St. Louis: Red Wings ship out (most of) their Blues connection

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch’s Jeff Gordon took note of the fact that the Red Wings have traded Jake Walman and Robby Fabbri, and lost David Perron in free agency, thus becoming a team with fewer St. Louis Blues connections (though Ville Husso remains, and Vladimir Tarasenko joins the cause). Gordon was penning a survey of the free agency moves taking place over the past week, and he started her:

Former Blues star Vladimir Tarasenko makes his permanent home in South Florida these days. He bought a $5 million home on the ocean, then won a second Stanley Cup while toiling for the Florida Panthers.

But his hockey home shifts to Motown after he signed a two-year, $9.5 million deal with the Detroit Red Wings. He joins an offensive cast that includes Dylan Larkin, Alex DeBrincat, Lucas Raymond and Patrick Kane, his longtime Blackhawks rival who re-upped in the Motor City on a one-year deal.

Why did the Red Wings sign Tarasenko?

Continue reading From St. Louis: Red Wings ship out (most of) their Blues connection

Morning round-up: More on Steve Yzerman’s press conference

Most of the Red Wings’ press corps weighed in regarding GM Steve Yzerman’s press conference on Thursday, well, on Thursday, but this morning, the Free Press’s Helene St. James has posted two articles discussing the GM’s remarks.

First, St. James addresses Yzerman’s remarks regarding the team’s outlook in general..

It has been a busy week — another busy week — for Yzerman, who had a plan heading into the start of free agency, changed course out of necessity, and emerged with a roster that begged the question: Does Yzerman feel pressure to make the playoffs?

“Yeah, a little bit, honestly,” Yzerman said. “Our fanbase wants to win. We came close last year to making the playoffs. The finish of our season was very dramatic. A little bit maybe misleading — like, we’ve got to really improve in some areas. We’ve got to get deeper.”

Over the past week, the Wings have signed, among others, top-six forwards Patrick Kane and Vladimir Tarasenko, defenseman Erik Gustafsson, and goaltender Cam Talbot. Yzerman said there was one top free agent the Wings targeted but it became clear as soon as the market opened that it was not realistic to pursue the player, given the fiscal maneuvering it would have taken to make a competitive offer. (Yzerman didn’t name names, but odds favor Steven Stamkos, given their shared history with the Tampa Bay Lightning, and because Stamkos is a top-line center. Stamkos got four years at an average annual value of $8 million from the Nashville Predators.)

“We had certain objectives at the opening of free agency that we hoped to accomplish and address,” Yzerman said. “We adjusted, or pivoted, and were able to bring in some players to replace some of the players we couldn’t bring back and address some areas of maybe weakness or concern with the players we brought in.”

St. James also discusses the shape of the Red Wings’ revised blueline…

Continue reading Morning round-up: More on Steve Yzerman’s press conference

Surveying the media’s takes on Steve Yzerman’s press conference

Red Wings GM Steve Yzerman spoke with the media earlier this afternoon, and the Red Wings’ press corps all posted articles about said press conference.

The Detroit News’s Ted Kulfan took note of the GM’s take on the Red Wings’ likely status as playing for a playoff spot down the stretch again…

“I don’t think it’s any different than I felt last year,” Yzerman said during Thursday’s media conference. “We’re in that group of teams that has a chance to compete for the playoffs if we stay healthy and if our goaltending is good and you get some, maybe unexpected production some players outplay your expectations, you might get in. Or you might miss by a point on the last game of the season. That’s the fine line of it all.”

The Wings have missed the playoffs the last eight seasons, including the last five with Yzerman managing the Wings. Yzerman admitted to feeling some pressure to get into the playoffs, but he’s not going to change his masterplan.

“Our fanbase wants to win and we came close last year in making the playoffs,” Yzerman said. “The finish of our season was very exciting and dramatic. Maybe a little misleading in that we have to really improve like we’ve talked in some areas, we have to get deeper. We’d love to make the playoffs this year and I’m hopeful, but we’ll continue to build a strong nucleus of players that will be around here. Pressure, whatever you want to call it, will not change what I’m trying to do.”

But Yzerman did suggest that he may yet make another addition, as Detroit Hockey Now’s Kevin Allen noted…

Continue reading Surveying the media’s takes on Steve Yzerman’s press conference