Players autographed a #13 Pavel Datsyuk sweater while cleaning out their lockers. Many others took clicked keepsake photos with Datsyuk.
It's a fait accompli.
Pavel Datsyuk will be leaving the NHL to head home to play in his native Russia.
At least that was the vibe that coursed through the Red Wings' room at locker clean out day on Monday.
"The Magic Man" said that he will announce his future intentions after the IIHF World Championships tournament ends in the middle of May.
"I think I be more 100% with my decision when world championships ending," Datsyuk told the Detroit Free Press.
"I more happy play here more playoffs series, but go back home to play in front of fans. It's exciting."
Datsyuk has a daughter from his first marriage that he wishes to be closer to. She lives in Russia. He currently lives in Detroit, Michigan.
"You need to consider, tougher decision hockey career, tougher decision life, or something different," Datsyuk said. "Lots of different subjects. It's tough decision for me."
Wings GM Ken Holland said of his experiences and conversations with Datsyuk, "I guess I would expect news that he's not coming back."
Holland also said that he is formulating two plans for the Red Wings for next season.
One strategy involves Datsyuk and the other does not involve the future Hall Of Famer.
Datsyuk's friend and bunker mate Henrik Zetterberg said he had "a good idea" of Datsyuk's final verdivct as to whether he will be staying in Detroit or leaving for Russia.
Niklas Kronwall also told media that he has an inkling of Pav's intentions.
Out of respect for their comrade, Zetterberg and Kronwall are keeping their lips zipped. That's the way it should be. No leaks from outsiders or "insiders". Detroit Red Wings fans, players , management and ownership deserve to hear the heart breaking news from Datsyuk himself.
The Wings are now in a serious bind with Datsyuk retiring with one year remaining on his current contract.
Due to the fact that Datsyuk signed his last NHL contract after the age of 35, the $7.5 million salary cap hit will remain in place for the Red Wings should Datsyuk he retire.
There is some relief in that the Wings can find a trade partner with a lot of cap space that needs to hit the salary cap floor.
Buffalo comes to mind. Tim Murray has $35 million in salary cap space for the 2015-16 season. If Holland were to make Murray and offer that he couldn't refuse for a scoring winger, for example, Teemu Pulkkinen (pending RFA) and Gustav Nyquist ($4.75M x 3 remaining). Or, Pulkinen and Tomas Tatar, who said Monday that he wasn't happy with the line combos and his usage by rookie head coach Jeff Blashill in 2015-16.
Tim Murray and Holland spoke two years ago about a Tyler Myers to Detroit swap for prospects.
That deal never materialized to Murray's liking and on Myers moved to Winnipeg in the Evander Kane blockbuster trade. Murray has a need to a top six scoring wing to play alongside Wonder Twins Jack Eichel and Samson Reinhart.
Murray will be active in free agency when Steven Stamkos becomes available on July. He will also be aggressive when Harvard star and Hobey Baker winner Jimmy Vesey becomes UFA on August 15. Murray is also on the short list of teams in pursuit of NoDak scoring star Drake Caggiula. Murray is armed to the rafters with murrency is the form of $35 million in available cap space, 12 premium selections in the Buffalo-hosted 2016 NHL Draft, and, a Top 10-- possibly top three pick in this June's draft.
The NHL Draft Lottery is this Saturday night in Toronto and Murray currently holds the 8th overall pick. That pick has a 6% chance of becoming a top three lottery pick. There are 20+ NHL GMs, including Holland, who envy Tim Murray right now. It took two and a half years to tear it down and rebuild it in Buffalo. They are no warmed and dangerous moving forward.
Holland said Monday that he would only be interested in trade if the "asking price is reasonable".
Holland cautioned that if a trade for Datsyuk's contract involves "lots of futures" to entice a team to take the contract, Holland said it wouldn't make sense, given the importance of development from within in today's NHL.
"If he’s not here you’d like to move the cap space but if the price is going to be lots of futures it doesn’t make any sense," Holland said. "Pav’s got one year left. To pay prime prospects or prime draft picks to free up one year of cap space, given where this franchise is, because of 25 years of being in the playoffs and not picking very high, so we’ll see."
In other words, Holland wants one of his NHL GM buddies to do him a solid and take Datsyuk's gargantuan contract off his hands and not ask for much in return.
Holland is dreaming in Technicolor because there are only a few teams with $7.5 million in available cap space for next season. What would be their incentive to work with Holland if there is no transferal of top roster players or prospects?
Beggars can't be choosers, Ken.
Don't let Holland fool you. He will be making trades at the NHL Draft in Buffalo. He needs to get bigger and stronger players to compete in the rough and tumble Eastern Conference. If that means giving up a slick winger or two, then so be it.
Holland will try to be a buyer this summer.
“I would say this is the first off-season since Nick Lidstrom retired (2012) that I’ve got to look at trying to do more than adding to what we’ve got,… Holland said.
“Maybe we’ve got to shake up the pot a little bit.…
Watch Holland's season ending presser here, courtesy Red Wings
___________________________________________________________________________
Former Buffalo Sabres back up keeper Jhonas Enroth vented his spleen over his lack of playing time in his first season in Los Angeles.
Enroth told the LA Times at Monday's locker clean out day that he isn't thrilled with having to sit so many games win between his starts.
“Just being a bigger part of the team is what I would like to do in the summer,…Enroth said.
“I really thought they were going to play me more.
“If you sign a guy for $1.2 million, you’re not going to play him 13 games, in my opinion.…
Enroth, a pending UFA, signed to a one year contract on July 1, 2015.
Enroth made only 13 starts appearances and appeared in just 16 games .
Enroth, 27, played a miniscule 852 minutes TOI this season. Jonathon Quick logged 4034 minutes TOI.
In 2015-16, Enroth logged 2,834 minutes TOI when he gave Buffalo 37 starts and the Dallas Stars 13 starts after he was traded at the 2015 trade deadline. To go from 50 starts to just 13 starts is quite an adjustment. Enroth said that he wasn't expecting top play starting goalie minutes in LA, however, he wasn't planning on playing just 852 total minutes either.
Last season, Martin Jones backed up Quick, started only 11 games and played on 747 minutes TOI.
No wonder Jones boogied out of LA. Don't be surprised if Enroth applies for work elsewhere on July 1 when the UFA market opens.
Playing backup to a healthy Quick is a real buzz kill for his battery mates.
It's too bad that Darryl Sutter didn't rest Quick more during the regular season and play Enroth more often. Quick clearly was lost in and out of his net many occasions during the first round series with the San Jose Sharks. San Jose made quick work of the Kings and sent them home in round one.
Enroth prepared well and battled hard this season. Enroth posted a 2.17 GAA and a .922 save percentage (.937 at 5-on-5, one of the better marks in the NHL). Enroth had two shutouts.
Enroth learned the hard way that Sutter loves riding his veteran guys who have been with him for years. Sutter's loyalty to aging vets is his blessing and his curse at times.
“I thought I earned more games, obviously,… Enroth said.
“I played pretty solid in the games I got, but I got a lot of breaks in between games too, so it’s tough to get a groove going.…
If the first round of this spring's Stanley Cup playoffs is an indication, the two-goalie tandem is back and better than ever. Five different teams turned to their second goalie in round one when the starter was not on his game. In all five cases, the backup earned a win.
Freddie Andersen replaced John Gibson in Anaheim. Michal Neuvirth replaced Steve Mason in Philadelphia Matt Murray replaced Jeff Zatkoff in Pittsburgh Petr Mrazek replaced Jimmy Howard in Detroit Antii Niemi replaced Kari Lehtonen is Dallas
Antii Raanta was forced to mop up for Henrik Lundqvist many times in their lost series with the Penguins.
St. Louis enters tonight's Game 7 with Brian Elliott who has given up 9 goals on his last 70 shots faced. Why Ken Hitchcock didn't start Jake Allen in the knockout game I do not know.
It appears that the NHL is heading more towards the two-goalie system. See Chad Johnson and Robin Lehner in Buffalo.
Enroth needs to identify the teams who play their back up 20-30 games per season and sign with that team rather than sit and collect dust and rust while backing up Quick again.
____________________________________________________________________________