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Tyler Bertuzzi is signed for the year after arbitration. All seems well, no hard feelings being reported. Tyler let it be known at his presser that he, Larkin, Mantha and some native Michiganders from other teams are participating in scrimmages (not at LCA). My guess would be the rinks in Troy or Waterford. Alumni get together throughout the off season (and even during the season) at some of those facilities. Mickey Redmond, Todd Bertuzzi, FSD reporter Trevor Thompson, anyone around that wants to lace em up and play. Honestly, the hockey culture in Michigan is fantastic. Advanced training is readily available, and you can put a game together almost any time of year.
Mantha and Timashov (originally said Namestnikov) still need deals. I fully expect Big Mo to get finished. Timashov, I’m not as certain. Don’t get me wrong, he wants to play in Detroit. The problem is going to be dollars. The market, as we’ve seen, has shifted significantly. You’re probably talking about a deal near league minimum. But, with 20% escrow and 10% deferment (plus taxes) the take home is fairly lean, and there is still no guarantee on the season. The AHL and OHL have pushed to February, and that is a “hope” date. The leagues can’t exist without fans. The NHL is having its own issues with the same issue. The OHL has announced there will be “no body checks” this year, and that may be just the beginning of proposed changes to the game.
Part of the difficulty of posting right now is the lack of movement and information. Speculative writing (of which I’m most certainly guilty) is pretty much the flavor of the year, and it’s not going away. I do think this week will be an eye opener for players under contract. The first paycheck is coming, and the reality of withholdings is going to hit the fan. At some point, someone is going to vent about it and we’ll have some insight. At this point, there are still players who don’t get the strange realities that are facing the league.
Free Agents are either scrambling to find a job, or “holding out” for a better deal. Teams need to shed dollars, and at some point a player or two are going to wait themselves out of a job. This year’s free agents have the unenviable task of the ultimate “buyer’s market”. Last year’s 3 million dollar player is getting offers of 1 million. Mike Hoffman has opted to wait out lower than optimal bids. There are still players thinking the market is going to bounce back sooner rather than later, and it reveals the gap of understanding between players and owners.
The divide between these two groups has never been more obvious. Players have dollar values in mind, and don’t want to let those go. Taylor Hall got a really good 1 year deal, Pietrangelo did very well for himself also. At some point, however, the players and owners are going to need to align themselves for the sport. Some players are complaining that the cap floor should have to be raised. Forcing owners on cash strapped teams to spend even more isn’t going to help the issue. The NHL itself is not fiscally viable, and that reality isn’t something many people are able to comprehend.
The cap situations are, for me, reminiscent of the mortgage crash around 2008. Higher and higher dollars being spent with GMs saying, “in 3 years this will look like a steal”. When the cap flattened after 2019 it should have been a warning, but it wasn’t. The damage is done. The scramble to figure out how to get the league moving affects every league in the US and Canada. The NHL is the “cash king” of hockey, and leagues around the world function because of the finances. I.E., a jr team gets some compensation for a player that moves to the big leagues. Overseas teams have similar deals (I’ve heard 30 - 40K per player). The amount of hockey the NHL funds is shocking.
This, too, is my hesitation in posting. There is a lot of ugliness on paper. However, with challenges come great opportunities. We’ve seen other sports lose fans when superstars disconnect. Hockey is walking that same line. Players are stepping out of the “humble and hard working” tradition and want to be high rollers. Players are telling coaches what they will and won’t do, and a general lethargy toward the hard working people who make the sport go has settled in. The opportunity is for the newer generation to learn what the old guard came to understand. The people in those seats pay for your livelihood, and it’s a position that demands respect. Gordie Howe made time for everyone, it was amazing to see. An exceptional amount of gratitude and recognition of the privilege and lifestyle that so few get to experience could literally be the difference between resurrecting the sport or tearing it apart.
Players need to have a voice, as do all people. Owners need to connect with their teams. The “us versus them” battle is a losing one, and it won’t help. I don’t know what the answer is, but it seems like a willingness to look at sweeping changes that are beneficial to everyone (and may not translate into more dollars in pockets) need to be considered. Posturing by either side may be disastrous.
Detroit Red Wings Blogger • 
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