Detroit Red Wings general manager Steve Yzerman will spend much of this summer negotiating contracts for many of the organization’s 13 restricted free agents.
The deadline for tendering qualifying offers is July 26, the Monday following the entry draft. Free agency begins on July 28.
“I can’t say we’ll qualify every single one of them, but the vast majority we will,” Yzerman said last week. “The question becomes the term of the contract. Some of them have arbitration rights. Our expectation is we’ll get them all signed. I’m just not sure the length of those contracts.
“We’ll get to work on that in the next couple of weeks and chip away at each one. I’m not overly concerned about that, but it will take some work to get it done. There’s a couple RFAs we have to decide for different reasons if we want to qualify them. Do we have a roster spot for them? What does their arbitration case look like?”
Here is a look at the Red Wings’ restricted free agents (with 2020-21 cap hit, per capfriendly.com), how they fared and in some cases what their next contract might look like:
Tyler Bertuzzi ($3.5 million, arbitration eligible): Missing all but nine games and undergoing back surgery isn’t likely to affect Bertuzzi’s negotiating position. After back-to-back 21-goal seasons, the Red Wings know what he is capable of and he is expected to make a full recovery. He isn’t apt to file for arbitration again after playing only nine games. A three-year deal would buy two of his unrestricted years.
Mathias Brome ($925,000): The Red Wings aren’t likely to qualify Brome after he struggled as a 26-year-old rookie. He produced only one point (a goal) in 24 games the first half of the season and spent nearly the entire second half shuttling between Grand Rapids and the taxi squad. Chances are, he will return to the Swedish Hockey League, where he flourished.
Dennis Cholowski ($894,166): The club’s top pick in 2016 still hasn’t established himself as an NHL player, but the Red Wings aren’t ready to give up on him. He’ll be signed to a one- or two-year bridge deal and be protected for this summer’s Seattle expansion draft, in all likelihood. He no longer will be waiver-exempt in 2021-22, so he must show defensive improvement and effectiveness as a point man on the power play in Detroit.
Christian Djoos ($1 million, arbitration eligible): He signed a two-year contract with EV Zug of the Swiss league two weeks ago, so there is no point in qualifying him to retain his NHL rights. The Red Wings probably wouldn’t have re-signed him anyway after making him a healthy scratch the final month of the season.
Adam Erne ($997,500, arbitration eligible): Who could have guessed no player would score more goals as a Red Wing in 2021 than Erne (he and Anthony Mantha scored 11 each)? His breakout season (20 points in 45 games) while playing on an energy line (with Luke Glendening and Darren Helm) and on the power play should earn Erne a three-year contract (buying two unrestricted seasons) at a decent raise, and a spot on their expansion draft protection list. If he opts for arbitration, the club will choose a two-year deal (rather than one season).
Filip Hronek ($714,166): A player’s second contract is often a bridge deal, but the Red Wings probably have seen enough from Hronek to sign him to a longer term (three years, after which he would still be restricted in 2024), if they can agree on a contract figure. He led the team in ice time, playing in all situations, in each of the past two seasons and is one of their few offensive threats from the blue line.
Gustav Lindstrom ($775,833): He can be a steady, lower-cost third-pair defenseman. He’ll sign a one- or two-year deal and likely be on the protected list for the expansion draft. He won’t be waiver-exempt next season.
Chase Pearson ($858,750, arbitration eligible): This center has been in the organization for a while after being drafted in the fifth round in 2015. He hasn’t made his NHL debut but the Red Wings like his potential. He had eight goals and 22 points in 28 games for Grand Rapids this season. He is exempt from the expansion draft and waiver-exempt for another season.
Michael Rasmussen ($894,166): The numbers didn’t show it (three goals, 12 points in 40 games), but he made good progress while learning to play center in the NHL. Coach Jeff Blashill cited Rasmussen as one of the team’s most-improved players. A two-year bridge deal, after which he would again be a restricted free agent in 2023, seems about right.
Givani Smith ($714,166): Big winger has made an impression during periodical stints with the Red Wings the past two years because of his forechecking, physicality and the occasional fight. It seems likely they would protect him for the expansion draft. He is not waiver-exempt next season, so he will be on the roster from the start.
Evgeny Svechnikov ($874,125): The club’s 2015 first-round pick had eight points in 21 NHL games in a season in which he was waived twice, shuffled between Grand Rapids and the taxi squad, and scratched from the lineup several times. His future with the organization is murky, but it wouldn’t cost much to qualify him to at least retain his rights. Might be consider the KHL?
Hayden Verbeek ($753,333): Acquired from Montreal in the deal that sent Jon Merrill to the Canadiens for a fifth-round pick, Verbeek could be a depth forward for Grand Rapids.
Jakub Vrana ($3.35 million, arbitration eligible): This will be the biggest contract Yzerman negotiates this offseason. Vrana made a significant impact with eight goals and 11 points in 11 games after being acquired from Washington. What will his next contract look like? It figures to be in the range of the four-year, $22.8 million pact Yzerman signed Anthony Mantha to in November. Vrana (81 goals, 162 points) and Mantha (80 goals, 163 points) have nearly identical stats over the past four seasons.
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The Link LonkMay 26, 2021 at 05:16PM
https://www.mlive.com/redwings/2021/05/red-wings-restricted-free-agents-most-not-all-returning.html
Red Wings’ restricted free agents: Most, not all, returning - MLive.com
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