On the Wings

Sorry that I’ve been MIA over the past few days even with all of the hockey news circling around. I have a bad sinus infection and it hurts to move- bad headaches are the worst! But anyways, I want to quickly touch upon the Detroit Red Wings’ buyouts and Steve Yzerman.

McCarty, Hatcher, & Whitney placed on waivers
As you’ve heard by now, Darren McCarty, Derian Hatcher, and Ray Whitney have been put on waivers.

“For a whole lot of reasons we needed to buy those guys out,” Holland said. “First off, we were at $31 million with 12 players signed. We’re going to go to about $36 million or $38 million on our payroll and leave some flexibility there in case of injury. When you need to sign 10 more players and you have only $4 million, it doesn’t take a genius to say the math doesn’t add up.”

But this wasn’t only a short-term fix. Holland has an eye to the future as well.

“Another factor is that all three of those players had deals that are longer than one year. And going into next summer, not knowing what the new cap number will be, unrestricted free agency will be 29 not 31, and for eight pro seasons not 10, so we needed to look ahead,” Holland said.

If they aren’t picked up within 24 hours, they will be bought out at up to 67% of their total contract. “They’ve been a big, big part of our franchise,” Red Wings assistant general manager Jim Nill said. “This is just a part of doing business right now with the new CBA.”

McCarty, a fan favorite, has played for Detroit for 11 seasons. He stood to earn $1.71 million if he hadn’t been put on waivers. I wasn’t surprised about these three being chosen, but it’s so weird to think that McCarty will be playing for another team next season. “It wasn’t a surprise,” McCarty said in an interview with WDFN-1130. “Everybody has to restructure.” If you haven’t already read it, you can view my Behind the Jersey column about McCarty, No. 25, here. I’ve always personally admired his hard work, gritty style, and his community service. “He’s a hardworking, roll-up-your-sleeves kind of guy,” Nill said. “He’s really what the city’s all about. He came every night to play hard.”

Two winters ago, I stood in line at Hockeytown Authentics for 3-4 hours in 25 degree weather to get an 8×10 photo of McCarty signed. The rules were: 1 item may be signed and no personalizations. The fee was at least one pair of mittens/hats/gloves for a local charity. I had recently finished reading his dad’s book (Craig McCarty) about his fight with cancer and his son’s hockey career. I had brought that book along with the photo. My brother brought a puck. When it was my turn in line, he signed the photo and the puck. He then noticed the book in my hand. He then asked for my name and wrote a quick message inside the cover:

Christy,
Enjoy the Book!
Darren McCarty 25

For someone who had already signed over 500 items, it was a very nice gesture for him to sign two of my items. And one of them was personalized. The book, Rinkside, remains one of my favorite of many Red Wings memorabilia decorating my room. I realized that McCarty hasn’t been the strength to the team that he used to, but it saddens me to see him leave. I saw a brief interview that he did with Channel 7 here in Detroit and you could trace absolutely no bitterness to the team or city. He plans to live here in the summers and his kids will continue to attend school here in Detroit. His daughter, Emerson, just finished her Kindergarten year at my high school. I wish Darren the best of luck and maybe for the 2006-2007 season we can negotiate some sort of deal to get him back here in Hockeytown.

Hatcher, also a Detroit native, may be returning back to Dallas. He would’ve cost the team $4.94 million this upcoming season and that’s including the 24% rollback. Unfortunately, we never really got to see what impact Hatcher could have in his hometown. After tearing his ACL in the third game, he came back as a different player. I’ve torn my ACL. I’ve had the surgery. And I’m waiting to have my ACL revised again. I can’t even imagine coming back from the surgery close to playoff time and people expecting you to perform at 100%. I was hoping we’d have the opportunity to see what he could really do when he had enough time to fully recover. I’m also disappointed to see him leave because I was so excited when I found out he was coming “home.”

Whitney, on the other hand, will not be missed as much. Like Brian pointed out, Whitney only finished the 2003-4 season with 14 goals and 29 assists.

As for Whitney, I could care less he’s gone. If you’re worried about losing his numbers (14 goals and 29 assists), remember that most of his points came off of second assists. Numbers like that are not impressive when you’re on the Wings - the best offensive team in the league with highly skilled linemates. I’m sure his bought out salary can be well spent on another forward out there…

Is Yzerman coming back?
As we all know, Steve Yzerman is either going to finish his career here in Detroit this next season or his last moment as a Red Wings player ended when the puck deflected into his eye. “I would like to end my career on a positive note,” Yzerman said, “but we’ll determine that soon.”

The Red Wings organization would obviously want to see Yzerman return for another year. “We want him back. He’s a tremendous leader, we still believe he’s got some real good hockey left in him. I think he should go out playing the game on the ice,” Holland said. He plans to meet with Yzerman soon to discuss his future. No contract offer has been created or presented yet. They just plan on talking. “I’m looking forward to sitting down and talking to Steve,” Holland said Tuesday from Detroit. “Beyond that, I have no idea if Steve wants to play or doesn’t want to play. I’ve made no contract offer to Steve. We just are planning to meet.”

Yzerman would’ve earned $4.5 million if the lockout hadn’t wiped out the 2004-2005 season. He will obviously need to sign for less if he is to remain on the team. What he’ll settle for is the big question. “It’s up to Stevie,” Ilitch said. “If he feels he wants to play another year, he’ll play another year. He’ll have to make that call, and I think it’s going to be shortly.” Yzerman won’t want to stay on the team for a farewell tour or as a pity case. He’ll want to make sure he can be of an asset to the team while being fairly compensated. “He can make us a better team. When you think of the Detroit Red Wings, you think of Steve Yzerman. I think he should go out playing the game on the ice,” Holland said.

In an interview on the WXYT 1270 radio program, “The Big Show,” Yzerman commented on the situation.

“If it makes sense to come back, I will, and if the right thing is to step aside, I will, and we’ll determine that in the next few weeks…It’s not really a tough decision. I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about this. I think it will be an easy decision…and I’ll make the right decision for the Detroit Red Wings.”

Another worry for Yzerman is his health. He commented that his knee would’ve had an easier time adjusting between a four to five month period, but “this will be 18 months,” he said, a reference to NHL regular-season games resuming this fall, “and that’s too much.” Ilitch also brought up Yzerman’s injuries.

“We all want to have him come back, but he’s 40 years old, and he’s had some serious injuries the last couple of years,” Ilitch said. “I don’t know what the extent of those injuries are today, if they’re lingering-type injuries, but he’s a very well-conditioned athlete, probably one of our best. You never worry about his shape.

On August 14, Yzerman plans to attend Team Canada’s training camp.

Yzerman has heard of only good things about new head coach, Mike Babcock, from his close friend, Steve Thomas (who played for Babcock in Anaheim). “I don’t believe he’s as defensive-minded as he is portrayed to be,” Yzerman said. “His teams are aggressive, play at high tempo. I think he’ll fit in well.” Yzerman also admitted to the Detroit Free Press that he immediately noticed that the new head coach is only two years older than himself. “It wouldn’t be awkward,” Yzerman said. “Maybe we can hang out together.”