Update (09. Jul, 12:27 PM): The pretty reliable guys at The Fourth Period tweeted this today:
DET tried to convince Jiri Hudler to stay, but it didn’t work. He’s going to Russia next year signing a 2-yr, $10M deal (tax free) w/ Dynamo
That’s right, $5 million a year, tax free. If true, Hudler’s departure just got a whole lot less surprising. There’s no way the Wings come even close to that kind of money, and there’s little chance that even some of the dumber GMs around the League would pay him that much, even if Hudler wanted to go elsewhere in the NHL.
Yesterday’s reports of $2 million a year, tax free, puzzled me because it didn’t seem like he’d bolt over the difference in between a taxed $2-3 million and a non-taxed $2 even with his personal issues about his role. If the number above is right, though, it’s harder to blame him.
Still hurts big-time, though. - Matt
Update (10:06 PM): Well, looks like this is the confirmation I was looking for: barring a miracle change of heart, Hudler’s playing in the KHL next season.
The Wings will go to arbitration and continue to try to work out a deal, but it seems the little guy’s made up his mind to leave the team that gave him a spot in the NHL even in a time where bigger is just about always considered better. Sure, he never got a big time role, but he never showed he could handle the minutes as he was always better with limited ice time. He fit in right where he was and while on one hand I can’t blame him for his frustration, on the other it’s surprising that winning wasn’t enough.
I liked Jiri too much to get too bitter about it, but there’s no denying this one hurts. As George says, losing three of five free agent forwards was expected, but four just feels like a beating. At least Leino signed, eh?
The Wings retain Hudler’s rights as long as he’s out of the NHL, but after this jerking-around, would we want him back? Today, I can’t say I would. Unfortunately for Jiri, the track record of minor-ish NHL players going over to the KHL and making it big and/or coming back doesn’t seem all that great.
Good luck in Moscow, Jiri. I hope you find the role you’re looking for there. Thanks for your time in Detroit. - Matt
Update (8:21 PM): This whole thing doesn’t fully line up for me. I’m still in wait-and-see mode. More as details solidify. - Matt
Busy day at work, so I’m behind on all the Hudler stuff flying around. Paul, George, and Kyle have been keeping up, though. I’ll probably chime in with more later today, after work and, I hope, after some dust has settled (i.e. more facts are in).
Personally, I don’t want him back at all. There’s honestly fewer things worse to me than a guy who doesn’t know his role. Does he honestly think he’s a first line forward? That’s ridiculous!
On the surface, it kinda sucks that we missed out on four of our free agents, but when you dig a little deeper, did ANY of those four step it up in the playoffs? I look at the four we lost and am thankful that we’ve got Z and Franzen and Stuart and Helm and Flip and Kronner and Cleary…you know, the guys who played up to or above their pay grades in the playoffs.
If all those Stanley Cup ring “family” stories show us anything, it’s that loyalty is rewarded. Ask Z and Mule and Datsyuk, who all got rewarded around the ages of 28 and 29, what they think about a young guy crying about not having enough of a role on this team.
Like, what is this bullshit? He didn’t like his role in Detroit, yet he didn’t want to sign somewhere else? What the hell? If you ONLY want to play for Detroit if you’re in the NHL, then why not accept whatever role they have for you?
Good riddance, Jiri, and we’ll see how “happy” you are watching your former teammates skating around the Joe with the Stanley Cup next spring.
I’m pretty much with you on this, Matt. Hudler clearly thinks he can do more than he has so far in Detroit, but was never going to get the opportunity to prove it because he wasn’t going to get time ahead of too many other players. I can’t be upset with him wanting an opportunity to show he can do more, even if he has to go to another league to do it. It is riskier and shows more guts than just demanding a trade to another NHL team where he might get more money, but wouldn’t neccesarily get the larger role that he wants to try.
I hope he finds a place on the team that will make him happy. Good luck to the kid.
I’ve been in an analogous position to Hudler’s in my own (very different) profession: midlevel success with little chance to move up the ranks. So I can understand his desire to prove himself in a larger role. I didn’t move to Moscow, but I did move to a different employer. For that matter, I could understand it purely on financial grounds. Ten mill tax-free is a lot of money to leave on the table.
What I’m saying is I don’t have any hard feelings. And, as Garth noted, this hurts the Wings a lot less than it would most other teams. Hudler just wasn’t that big a piece of the Wings’ puzzle. So now we’ll find out if those young guys who looked so promising in the playoffs are ready for a full-time gig in the bigs.
One more point: we’ll probably see this happen a lot in the next few years: the Wings paying big money to keep their irreplaceable stars, and letting a lot of mid-range guys go in order to stay under the cap.