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Nielsen is being bought out. Yzerman continues to move on from old contracts and bring in new faces.
I wrote last week that Svechnikov has been linked to the jets,. He has now officially signed with the Manitoba Moose of the AHL. That’s just the first part of Svech’s movement away from Detroit. It turns out that Svechnikov will be on a PTO when the Jets open camp.
Drafted 6 years ago, Svechnikov just couldn’t grab on and maintain a spot in Detroit. That’s just outside the normal 3 to 5 year window. While some still held out hope that he could find his game, it just hasn’t materialized. Time and opportunity in Detroit simply ran out.
In the same vein of impatience, there are people who are already calling the 2018 top pick, Filip Zadina, a “bust…. I think that’s crazy. He showed the ability to play, even on a 2nd line that was basically filled in with third line players. I expect with some stability at center Zadina is going to have a better season offensively. In the meantime, he certainly grabbed hold of how to play the defensive side of the puck.
Yzerman is cleaning house. I’ve gone through his ability to get contracts off the books, at length. After next season, there are only 2 players currently on the roster. Whatever team hits the ice in 2023/2024, it will be Yzerman’s completely. No left over deals, no players who didn’t have to earn a new deal. It’s supposed to be hard to make and stay on an NHL team. Some long term deals can grow sour while a player is on the decline. At this point, only Dekeyser remains on a deal that has seen a significant drop in value. It’s another fresh start this season, and it keeps getting newer and younger.
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