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Datsyuk departure presents opportunity to Red Wings |
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Is it a day for sadness, or a time to step back and ponder the possibilities?
Pavel Datsyuk made official Saturday what everyone in Hockeytown knew deep down was coming, that his days as a Detroit Red Wing were over.
No only will the Wings be left without four-time Lady Byng Trophy winner Datsyuk, they’ll be left holding the bag on the last year of Datsyuk’s three-year contract, a $7.5 million salary cap hit.
Unless, that is, they convince another team in need of money to reach the cap floor to take on Datsyuk’s big stipend. With the cap expected to remain flat or ever go down next season, the list of teams in need of surplus money is a short one, and growing shorter by the day.
Chicago’s trade of Bryan Bickell and Teuvo Teravainen to the Carolina Hurricanes alleviated the cap issues of the Blackhawks and helped pump the Hurricanes up to where they need to get, but this one was a non-starter for Detroit. Anyone who knows the history of the feud between Carolina owner Peter Karmanos and Detroit owner Mike Ilitch would be aware that doing a favour for Ilitch was not something that would be a priority for Karmanos.
“There’s 29 other teams in the league and none of us are in the business of doing favors for each other,” said Detroit GM Ken Holland, aware that the task ahead of him to try and unload the remainder of the Datsyuk deal is “a really difficult situation.
“I’ll try to manage it the best I can.”
Holland isn’t about to sweeten the pot with one of his young prospects just to move the Datsyuk money.
“Any of our top kids are a hard no,” Holland said. “Why would I trade 10- or 12-year players to free up cap space for one year?
“It doesn’t make any sense.
“I've talked to some teams here over the last couple of days. We'll see if I can move the contract.
“I'm not overly optimistic.”
Holland figures he’s got a two-week window to send the money elsewhere, because once all the top free agents are signed when they hit the open market July 1, there’s no point to dumping the money.
If he can move it, perhaps the Wings can also move the needle on the type of team they have via unrestricted free agency. They could pursue the home run and go after Steven Stamkos, but after noting they have too many of the same type of players at this year’s exit meetings, perhaps the Wings could pounce on this opportunity to reshape their forward group by adding size and grit.
David Backes, Milan Lucic, Kyle Okposo, Andrew Ladd and Matt Martin are a few names who’d be on the list of available UFAs cut from this cloth.
If they can’t move the pact, then the best option for the Wings is to decide the future is now and go with their young players, let them learn from their mistakes on the job and grow together.
It might cost them their 25-year streak of consecutive playoff appearances, but it could start this team that hasn’t made it past the second round of the playoffs since 2009 on the road back to glory.
Datsyuk’s Plans
The Wings have given Datsyuk their blessing to play in the KHL next season. He will sign retirement papers with the NHL, meaning Datsyuk can’t play for anyone in the NHL next season.
“He’s done,” Holland said of Datsyuk’s time in the NHL. “I talked to him for about 45 minutes to make sure that he understood that his NHL career in effect was – at his age it’s going to be over.
“Given his age, I think he announced today he’s retiring from the National Hockey League. I don’t think Pav is going to come back.”
Datsyuk’s agent Dan Millstein indicated that his client had a number of offers from KHL clubs and would weigh them in the near future.
As to how much longer he wants to play hockey, Datsyuk, who will turn 38 in July, offered an interesting answer.
“I want to play like Gordie Howe (who played in the NHL until the age of 52) but sometimes it’s not possible,” Datsyuk said. “Hockey, now it’s harder for me.
“You never know how your body responds.”
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