Follow me on Twitter Follow @TheJeremyLaura
The NHL's first buyout window opens Friday and runs through June 30 at 5 p.m. ET.
— Chris Johnston (@reporterchris) June 14, 2023
Let the off-season begin.
I’m much more interested in the buyout window than I used to be. Partly, because Yzerman has used it to get rid of deals many thought would be a “wait it out… scenario. The Minnesota Wild sent some big names to the UFA market in recent years. With a flat cap, teams have a lot of things to consider and this tool may be even more attractive than it has in the past.
Detroit has holes to fill. I was overly optimistic about a top six that seemed to have added an important piece with Copp, though to be fair I’m going to be watching him as the new season starts to see if last year was just a bad run after a tough surgery.
Bertuzzi, Vrana and Hronek were all surprising in different ways. Bertuzzi’s camp really only had a couple of meetings with management on an extension (one preseason, one before the trade deadline) and the result looked to be that there was an impasse that could not be traversed. After a surprising first round exit in Boston, there could be a change of heart if Bert can’t find his ask on the open market. I honestly don’t know.
Vrana, it is what it is. I did a post on the only “tip… I could get from someone who has given me solid direction in the past. Most people in the comments consider that trade to be a waste. Hronek was having a pretty good campaign but the offer was apparently too much to ask. Having Seider opened up less difficult match ups and Hronek seemed to have found new life.
The problem we see is that Detroit isn’t enjoying “contender… status. Players who are attractive on the market may be looking for that chance. I think Edvinsson and Kasper will decide their own placement in the preseason. I don’t know how what the appetite is for either in terms of burning ELC years with both Seider and Raymond getting ready for their post ELC negotiations.
I have to think the trade of a draft pick will be in play. More likely one of the three 2nd rounders as having 2 firsts could be very good for the team in a draft where there is a lot of focus on forwards and a very good defenseman could be available (although there’s not an appetite from fans that I hear from to add to the blue line in the first round).
Make sure you get your first round pick(s) to me via comments or pm so we can see if anyone can predict Yzerman’s presentation of the jersey to a brand new (hopefully) important part of the rebuild.
Just as a side note, keep your eyes on July 1. Bally has another big step in this process coming at that point. On the ESPN side, the parent company had their CFO step down citing family health issues, and Disney is now looking for a replacement. If the announcement weren’t one that is so deeply personal, this would raise eyebrows as the 23 year veteran initiated a late night emergency meeting last year that saw Disney’s CEO of 8 months walked out and his predecessor return. Both the departed CEO and the now departed CFO are part of a lawsuit against Disney that alleges a purposeful devaluing of certain properties that seemed to play a part in company stock going down. This is not going to be an easy position to replace, and a new earnings call is coming up soon. I’ll keep you posted as I sit through another one.