The long term implications of the Lucas Raymond contract

After multiple nail-biting months, Red Wings fans can rest easy knowing that their premier young winger has finally inked a deal to keep him in Motor City for at least another eight years. The carousel of veteran free agents has come and gone through the past handful of years. However, none of those signings held the same weight that Lucas Raymond’s contract does. The future is taking shape in Detroit, but what does that mean? Are the Red Wings destined to become a dynasty reminiscent of the late 90s, or is it just another gear in the machine to move forward into a mediocre machine?

It has never been confirmed, only speculated, that General Manager Steve Yzerman has put an internal cap for individual player contracts at an AAV of $8.7 million, meaning no one will make more than Captain Dylan Larkin. In theory, this would put an end to any future locker room conflicts pushed by outside influences. But ultimately, it sets a threshold for the front office to work with for every other future contract to come their way. Whether this is the case or not, it is a long-term ideology that will help stop overpaying star players and put a stranglehold on roster management. Which fans know Ken Holland had done to the detriment of the franchise's future. 

Raymond agreed to an eight-year deal with an AAV of $8.075. This is probably the best-case scenario for a forward that is only 22 years of age with a ceiling that could only increase in terms of point production. Signing a short-term or “bridge deal” could have hurt the team down the line, needing to increase his salary significantly, thus hurting the roster cap. Outside of Dylan Larkin and Alex Debrincat, it is hard to point at a player currently on the Red Wings roster who is a mainstay contributor in the offensive zone for the next few years. 

Down the stretch, it was obvious how important Lucas Raymond was to the competition of the team while they remained in the hunt for the postseason. When Larkin was out of the lineup for an extended period of time, Raymond was the only spark on offense to keep the team in the games. And in the final two weeks of the season, when every point mattered, it was Raymond who seemed to keep coming up clutch in the late minutes of games to rally the team to garner points in the standings. With every goal and every assist, you saw the passion that Raymond had. Not only with his iconic celebrations but with the roar of the crowd when he encouraged them in the darkest of hours. 

Raymond's ability to muster energy from his teammates and the crowd in clutch moments is invaluable.

It became noticeable to me early on in the season that defenseman Jake Walman was a lynchpin in the morale of the roster. His generational fun and lightheartedness were magnetic to the younger players like Seider and Raymond, thus bringing them together and encouraging a larger role for those stars to fill. After the surprising trade of Walman this offseason, I fully expect Lucas Raymond to fill that role with his energy and passion on and off the ice to rally this team in the heat of battle. Fans can take comfort in knowing that even after players like Kane and Tarasenko are gone, Larkin will still have a mainstay with superior talent to help push the team toward multiple playoff berths in Lucas Raymond.