Archive for the 'Roster Moves' CategoryPage 2 of 7

Lidstrom re-signs through 2010

Published
by
Matt Saler
on December 26, 2007
in Links, Nick Lidstrom and Roster Moves
. 0 Comments

Update (9:21 PM): Dave Waddell explains the significance of Lidstrom’s pay cut:

By agreeing to take a slight pay cut, Lidstrom gives the Wings more cap space with Henrik Zetterberg due for renewal after next season.

That’s not just Waddell’s analysis, as Ken Holland indicates cap space was part of Nick’s thinking. As George Malik says, $150,000 may not seem like much of a discount, but every bit of space will help the Wings re-sign Hank and maintain their depth. - Matt

Update (4:47 PM): Red Wings TV has added a video clip consisting of interviews  with Lidstrom, Kris Draper, and Mike Babcock. - Matt

Update (3:10 PM): TSN is reporting that Nick will make $7.45 million a year. (via Kukla’s) - Matt

Update (3:08 PM): Ansar Khan’s piece on the signing is here. He does not know the terms of the deal, but reports that, “Lidstrom agreed to take a slight paycut from his current $7.6 million salary.” Cool.

Khan also provides updates on some other potential free agents. He’s had “preliminary discussions” with Dan Cleary, Andreas Lilja, and Chris Osgood, but has been told by Valtteri Filppula’s agent to wait until after the season for negotiations since Fil is in the process of establishing his market value. - Matt

The Freep reports that Nick Lidstrom has signed a two-year contract extension.

Financial terms have not been released and I’m not sure what to expect there. He’s making $7.6 million now and could command that much or more, but may have taken a pay cut in order to give the Wings’ more cap room in the future. We’ll find out soon enough, I’m sure.

Also, check out this NHLPA piece on Lidstrom and the Wings.

Downey back on waivers?

Published
by
Matt Saler
on November 8, 2007
in Aaron Downey and Roster Moves
. 1 Comment

Update (8:37 PM): Just got an email back from mLive’s Ansar Khan. He says it is true and that, more than anything else, it’s to allow the team the room to bring up Jimmy Howard if Dominik Hasek gets hurt again. Hadn’t thought of it that way, but it makes more sense than what I said below doesn’t rule out the scenario I outlined below in the 8:06 update. He suggests the Wings may waive him every month, as long as everyone is healthy, as insurance in case of an injury.

Also, according to him, it’s by noon tomorrow, not noon Saturday, that another team has to claim him. So, evidently I was wrong about that. It’s been a long day… - Matt

Update (8:06 PM): Also, I should explain what I mean by “breathing room” a little better. If, heaven forbid, over the next 30 days or 10 games, one of the team’s top players gets hurt, they’ll probably want to call someone up from Grand Rapids who could fill in better than the four guys on rotation (Downey, Matt Ellis, Dallas Drake, and Tomas Kopecky). Waiving Downey now allows them to do that right away without having to wait two days to clear a spot. - Matt

Update (8:00 PM): I should mention that, if Downey has in fact been waived (still haven’t seen confirmation), he’s available to other teams until noon on Saturday. - Matt

According to Habs Inside/Out, Aaron Downey has been placed on waivers (via Kukla’s). I haven’t been able to find confirmation on that, but if it’s true, it’s not the first time this season. You may remember he was waived back in October in order to allow the Wings room to make roster moves quickly, though they obviously kept him around when he wasn’t claimed. His waived status was good for 30 days or 10 games, which would explain why they’d waive him now, a month later, to give them some breathing room with a 23-man roster.

If the RDS report is true, let’s hope he doesn’t get claimed. If you’re not a believer in Downey, check this out:

Grigorenko absent from practice

Published
by
Matt Saler
on October 1, 2007
in Igor Grigorenko and Roster Moves
. 0 Comments

Update (11:45 PM): Kevin Allen of USA Today quotes Ken Holland as saying,

“He’s going down for three weeks, and when we get back from the California trip, we are looking to bring him back.”

So, we’re looking at a possible NHL regular season debut for Grigorenko on October 24th versus Vancouver. (via Snapshots) - Matt

Update (1:50 PM): It’s been confirmed: Grigorenko will start the season in Grand Rapids. The team views it as a chance for Grigorenko to get acclimated to North American hockey, not as a permanent demotion, so it’s pretty likely that he’ll be with the team in a month or so.

Also, Matt Ellis has earned the 13th spot, and Aaron Downey has been offered a two-way contract, which he apparently is expected to accept. If he does, he’ll be the 14th forward. Mark Hartigen was also sent down, but has to clear waivers. Kyle Quincey will not go back to Grand Rapids until his hand is healed, because of a clause in the CBA. - Matt

Ansar Khan reports that Igor Grigorenko was one of three players not on the ice today in practice. Chris Chelios and Mark Hartigen were the other players. Given that Igor’s only remaining competition for a spot, Matt Ellis and Aaron Downey, both practiced, the speculation is that he has been sent down to Grand Rapids, though there is no confirmation that I’ve been able to find. The only other explanations is that Grigorenko is injured, but he looked fine at the end of Saturday’s game.

If he was, in fact, sent down, how this will all play out remains to be seen. I suspect Matt Ellis’ spot on the team is pretty safe, but Aaron Downey’s is not. Downey may be this year’s Brad Norton and end up being replaced by this year’s Valtteri Filppula, Igor Grigorenko. Although Igor was not as impressive as Fil was last year, the Wings risk losing him if they keep in the minors for too long. So, his demotion is probably nothing more than a conditioning stint. Hopefully he takes full advantage of it.

Wings officially announce Ellis, depth signings

Published
by
Matt Saler
on July 16, 2007
in Griffins and Roster Moves
. 2 Comments

Update (9:24 PM): This comment by James Mirtle prompted me to Google Garrett Stafford’s name to find out more about him. The first thing that comes up is his connection with an infamous incident in the AHL three years ago: Alexander Perezhogin’s vicious slash to Stafford’s face.

Anyway, his statistics are solid, and if Mirtle says he’s “not bad either,” it sounds like he’s a good signing for the organization. Good to see the Wings taking care of their AHL affiliate. - Matt

After conflicting reports a week and a half ago, the Wings have announced some minor free agent signings. The most important: Matt Ellis’ two-year extension.

The other signings: forwards Randall Gelech (two years), Carl Corazzini, Mark Cullen, and Mark Hartigan, defensemen Brad Ference and Garrett Stafford, and goalie Adam Berkhoel (one year each).

All of these guys should be Griffins next year, with the exception of Ellis, who has a shot at making the Wings.

Wings sign Dallas Drake

Published
by
Matt Saler
on July 9, 2007
in Dallas Drake and Roster Moves
. 3 Comments

According to Ansar Khan, Dallas Drake has signed a one-year, $550,000 contract with the team that drafted him in 1989. The signing adds size to the Wings’ forward group, should they choose to use the 6′1″, 195 lbs. grinder type. There’s a chance he could fill in on the 3rd or 4th line, but it’s not unlikely that he’ll be in Grand Rapids to start the season, given the Wings’ youth log-jam.* He’d have to clear waivers to go to the minors, but at this stage in his career, that isn’t much of a concern. In the Khan piece, Holland talks as though Drake will be a Red Wing, but I wouldn’t be surprised if that that depends on the training camp performances of guys like Jiri Hudler, Tomas Kopecky, Igor Grigorenko, and Matt Ellis, not to mention Drake himself.

Drake’s a gritty player who plays a rough game, as you might remember from his high hit on Brett Lebda this past season that resulted in a two-game suspension. He’s never been a guy to put up big numbers (he maxed out at 45 points in ‘99-’00 in Phoenix), but he was big on the penalty kill for the Blues last season and would be a likely candidate for a regular spot on the Wings’ PK if he makes the team.

Not a bad signing at all, given the price and the fact that Drake will bring grit and physical play, as well as leadership, whether he suits up in Detroit or in Grand Rapids.

George Malik has a nice round-up post here.

*The Wings now have Datsyuk, Zetterberg, Holmstrom, Samuelsson, Filppula, Franzen, Maltby, Draper, Cleary, Hudler, Kopecky, Ellis, Grigorenko, and Drake under contract. That’s 14 forwards, with the first nine (italics) all set regulars. We could see any combination of the other five (bold).

Hasek finally re-signs

Published
by
Matt Saler
on July 5, 2007
in Dominik Hasek and Roster Moves
. 12 Comments

Update (4:30 PM): Now it’s official, with the terms, as reported yesterday, confirmed. - Matt

Update (06. Jul, 7:11 AM): Looks like this isn’t official yet, as Hasek has not actually signed the contract. He’s agreed to it, however, and is expected to make it official today, though Holland still sounds somewhat tentative.

Also, if Winter’s comment below is a joke, it’s a bad one, as all media reports on the topic of the negotiations with the Wings’ UFAs (such as this one) had Holland bemoaning the fact that they all were making demands for higher salaries than the team was prepared to pay. That includes Hasek. So, excuse me if I don’t find Winter’s “joke” funny. - Matt

The Detroit News reports that Dominik Hasek has finally signed a contract extension: one-year, with a base salary in the $2 million range, with around another $2 million in playoff-related bonuses. How about this quote by Dom’s agent, Ritch Winter:

“We’ve settled. Dominik wanted to give the team room to have money under the salary cap. Let’s face it, he’s a $5 million-a-year goalie. We all know that. But I managed to talk them down to $2 million. It was a unique negotiation.”

So that’s how it when, eh? The Wings wanted to use up most of their remaining cap space on Dom rather than on filling another need, but Winter, out of the goodness of his heart, managed to dissuade them from that course of action by dragging negotiations out until they agreed to pay less? And here all this time I and everyone else in Hockeytown thought it was the other way around. Thanks for setting the record straight, Mr. Winter. Too bad you couldn’t convince the Wings to agree to these terms before the best options for a top-six forward signed with other teams. Ugh.

Welcome back, Dom, but that whole “I expect a raise” thing was not cool. You should have just taken a contract like last year’s right off the bat and given the team the cap space to go after a solid top-sixer. I’d think that you’d be bigger on winning than on money at this stage of your career.

(thanks Brian)

Ellis re-signs; team confirms Ference, Berkhoel signings

Published
by
Matt Saler
on July 5, 2007
in Matt Ellis and Roster Moves
. 1 Comment

Jason Kasiorek of Griffins Central reports that Grand Rapids Griffins captain Matt Ellis has signed a one-year contract extension with the Wings. I haven’t seen him play all that often, but among Griffins fans, Ellis has a reputation as one of the hardest-working players in the organization and that will no doubt endear him to Mike Babcock come training camp.

According to Kasiorek, Ellis would have to clear waivers to return to the AHL, which means the team will have to come to a decision on his status. Given that they re-signed him, it seems they’re looking to carry him as a 12th or 13th forward, pending his camp performance. Ellis’ history indicates that he’s unlikely to disappoint. I expect to see him in the Winged Wheel next year, perhaps on a line with Hudler and Kopecky, at least to start off.

Matthew Wuest* of Red Wings Central says a team source has confirmed the signings of defenseman Brad Ference and goalie Adam Berkhoel to one-year contracts. Both are for depth (read: for the Griffins), though Ference could conceivably earn an NHL spot. RWC has Berkhoel in the fourth spot in the Wings’ goaltending depth chart, behind #3 Jimmy Howard and ahead of #5 Stefan Liv, whose RFA status and sub-par performance last season obviously knocked him down a spot.

*Who, by the way, says Ellis signed a two-year deal. I’m going with the Griffins expert on this one, though, until shown otherwise by an official source.

Jiri Hudler re-signs

Published
by
Matt Saler
on July 5, 2007
in Jiri Hudler, Links and Roster Moves
. 0 Comments

Update (8:45 PM): Word has come down from the front office that Hudler just has to work on getting “a half-step quicker” and he’ll be second power play material. - Matt

Two years, $2.03 million. He’ll make $880,000 this season and $1.15 the second year. I wonder if that contract includes a clause that will force Babcock to give him half-decent ice time. It’s not like he hasn’t proven he deserves it over and over again. (thanks Tim)

Wings sign Rafalski

Published
by
Matt Saler
on July 1, 2007
in Brian Rafalski and Roster Moves
. 8 Comments

Update (7:23 PM): Apparently Rafalski did take a bit of a hometown discount to come to Detroit: the AP reports that one team offered him six years, $40 million ($6.7 a year) and he turned it down to become a Wing. Based on this TSN interview transcript, he sounds excited about the opportunity. (links via Snapshots) - Matt

Update (5:14 PM): Looks like my calculations below were a little off. Ansar Khan reports that the Wings have only $8 million to spend now that they’ve signed Rafalski. That $8 million will be spread rather thin between Hasek, Bertuzzi, and Markov, so thin that Holland may only be able to sign two of them and will be unable to go after a UFA like Ryan Smyth.

If I had to guess, I’d say the Wings sign Hasek and Bertuzzi while letting Markov go, leaving a million or two for down the road. While Bertuzzi is a gamble, it doesn’t seem likely that the Wings would be able to draw someone with a similar upside for around $3 million. - Matt

Update (5:00 PM): Eric McErlain has a post up on the deal over the NHL Fanhouse and Lyle Richardson has one at Foxsports.com. I’m still bummed about losing Schneider, but this Rafalski deal is sounding better and better. - Matt

Update (4:37 PM): Here’s the separate TSN piece on the signing.

The interesting thing about this deal is that Rafalski is getting, at an average of $6 million a year, more money than Schneider got from Anaheim. That shows more than anything else that Schneider left for personal reasons rather than because the Wings couldn’t meet his demands.

Rafalski is 33 now (turns 34 in September), which means the Wings will have him at least until he’s 38 (well, 39, really). That’s pretty much his prime years and that’ll give him a chance to improve on his offensive numbers, which aren’t all that far off from Schneider’s. And much like playing with Nick Lidstrom benefited Mathieu Schneider and helped boost his status, so should playing with Nick help Rafalski.

The fact that Rafalski was born in Dearborn, Michigan obviously didn’t motivate him to take a literal hometown discount, but it must be nice for him to be with his hometown team, even if he apparently has “adopted” Wisconsin.

By my loose calculations, the Wings now have a payroll of about $38.5 million with Dominik Hasek, Todd Bertuzzi and Danny Markov still yet to be signed. With the Wings having to find a way to split $12 million between probably at least two of those players, it looks like they won’t be bringing in anyone else.

Overall, I’m intrigued. I don’t know a ton about Rafalski, but his name has come up in years past and the fact that the Wings are investing five years and $30 million into him reflects their confidence in him. Given that their judgment has been right more often than not, it would seem this is a good deal. It doesn’t make up emotionally for the loss of Schneider, but it’s something. - Matt

Well, Holland didn’t waste much time signing another defenseman. Via TSN:

“Brian Rafalski agrees to a five year, $30 million contract with the Detroit Red Wings.”

More to come. (thanks Brian)

Bad news: Wings UFAs have high expectations

Published
by
Matt Saler
on June 22, 2007
in Danny Markov, Dominik Hasek, Mathieu Schneider, Roster Moves and Todd Bertuzzi
. 3 Comments

Apparently, Ken Holland has hit a bit of a roadblock with Dominik Hasek, Todd Bertuzzi, Mathieu Schneider, and Danny Markov. It seems they all want the kind of money other teams around the league have been throwing at players of similar talents (Anaheim, Philadelphia). Ansar Khan says Dom is still a lock, though his demands have taken the Wings aback, but as for the others, he quotes Ken Holland as saying, “It appears one or two are not going to be in Detroit.”

That sucks, but I guess it shouldn’t be much of a surprise. I’d hoped everyone would put winning ahead of money and keep together a team that could be right back where it was this past season. Idealistic, I know.

If only two of the four will be back, let’s hope it’s Hasek and Schneider.