Offer sheets coming for Detroit Red Wings players Lucas Raymond and Moritz Seider?

For background on the offer sheet topic, I defer to Prashanth Iyer on a great explanation of an offer sheet.

When a player is a restricted free agent (RFA), their ability to seek out contracts with other teams is limited. An offer sheet allows teams to circumvent this restriction. Offer sheets can give teams the chance to poach players from their rivals with competitive contract offers. The team that receives an offer sheet can either match the offer or allow the team to take away the player in exchange for draft compensation.

There’s a table in this article that shows the compensation details depending on the contract that is offered by a rival team as well.

Hockey is a funny thing. No aspect of it is quite as comical as the hockey insiders discussing information about the Detroit Red Wings, seemingly from the closed vault surrounding Steve Yzerman and his management team.

When the summer months drag on, it’s easy to get caught up in the rumors that pop up from time to time.

One hockey insider tweeted this out recently:

“Lucas Raymond and the Detroit Red Wings not close” has caused quite a stir amongst fans.

I’ll be honest, if any contract negotiation was easy, I thought Raymond’s might fit the bill. He seems like nothing concerns him except for winning. Although a bit abrasive in both practice and on the ice, it seemed like his path as a lifelong Detroit Red Wings player was going down easy street. (At least an easier street than let’s say Moritz Seider who has to be talked into taking a huge pay cut if Dylan Larkin is to remain the team’s highest paid player and who has a mortal enemy as his agent.)

I’m not sure how valid this claim is that both parties are far apart, or what the definition of far might even be. To some degree, it almost seems like lip service to get views or a discussion brewing. It’s fine to do, I just don’t think I buy into the discussions being too far apart. 

Maybe the dollar amount isn’t the issue, but one party wants a shorter term deal, while another party wants a long term deal. Therefore, maybe the far apart is referring to the length of the contract. In that case, I’m not too concerned as a deal will be reached between the two parties at some point–just a matter of tinkering with the details. 

If there is any validity to this claim, it could cause some concerns within the fanbase.

Are offer sheets coming for Detroit Red Wings players Lucas Raymond and Moritz Seider?

If there was ever a time I was sure of something in hockey, it would have been that Raymond and Seider’s deals would have been inked by now.

Is it concerning that there isn’t a contract for either player? To some degree, especially when we see the St. Louis Blues taking advantage of a challenging Edmonton Oilers situation.

We know other teams are foaming at the mouth to get at both Raymond and Seider. Happily, teams would back their brinks trucks up to either or both players, along with handing over any applicable draft picks needed to have a successful offer sheet. 

Before this offseason, I thought it would have been crazy to even be concerned about an offer sheet for either Raymond or Seider. Even now, I might have false hope that it’s not in the realm of possibilities for either player, as both players have bought into the Detroit Red Wings, but there is a bit of doubt creeping into my mind.

Why does an offer sheet make sense for Raymond?

Yzerman and his management team is not offering a contract that Raymond likes, while another team offers the exact contract (term and dollar amount) that Raymond is wanting.

We know Yzerman pinches every penny and adjust every contract to fit his idea of what the player should be earning and for the length of time he should be signed with the Detroit Red Wings.

After the growth of Raymond this past season, he’s arguably the most impact outside of Larkin in terms of driving play. Patrick Kane and Alex DeBrincat both bring elements to the game that are elite, but Raymond showed last season that he not only can drive play, but can carry the team. 

When the season looked to be the darkest, Raymond shined the brightest and was one silly tiebreaker away from dragging the team back into the playoffs.

Raymond from that moment on earned his eight-year extension at something north of $7.5 million. The exact dollar amount was subject to fluctuate. 

I’m sure Raymond’s party would feel slighted at a low dollar figure, but I’d counter that Raymond hasn’t proved that he can play at that upper level for an entire season. To which, I reckon the Raymond camp might request a shorter, bridge deal around the two-to-four year mark. They might give a shave a few dollars off to help the Detroit Red Wings absorb the fewer years being signed. After the contract ends, though, Raymond’s camp would bet on a significant raise.

Other teams don’t have the stingy, disciplined approach that comes with Yzerman’s regime. There seems to be open checkbooks (even with a cap) across the National Hockey League (NHL). Any team who has the cap space and flexibility would love to get their grubby little hands on Raymond.

Why does an offer sheet not make sense for Raymond?

I hate super imposing my thoughts and feelings onto others, but it’s difficult to watch a guy like Raymond and think he would be okay playing anywhere else.

He loves playing for the Detroit Red Wings, it seems. Larkin, Kane, and DeBrincat all seem to play a huge part in Raymond’s development, while young guys like Seider bring an element of fun to Raymond that sometimes he forgets about (not to mention the flurry of former Team Sweden teammates fighting for their spots this upcoming season).

There is a draw that no other team can really replicate at this time. With the likes of Yzerman, then adding in the veteran, winning players like Kane and Vladimir Tarasenko, Raymond is likely to soar to heights that I’m not sure he even knew were possible. The way he soaks up knowledge and other player’s skills is something that gives me goosebumps.

If Pavel Datsyuk returns again to Detroit, Michigan, for on ice activities at any point, it would be great to see him spend some time with a player like Raymond. I can’t imagine the things Raymond could absorb from Datsyuk. Who knows if he does travel back this way, but I sure hope so.

Also, Raymond seems pretty loyal, almost to a fault at times. In his draft year, he elected to remain with Fölunda of the Swedish Hockey League (SHL), the top men’s league in Sweden. Even though he rarely saw the ice in a game, Raymond chose to stay. Instead of going to the second-tier league in Sweden or even to North America to play juniors, Raymond stuck it out with his hometown team.

Maybe he really thought it was best for his development (his plummeting draft stock said otherwise), but for whatever reason he stayed with his team.

I don’t think there’s any bad blood between the Detroit Red Wings organization, including coaching staff and management, and Raymond. Although he and Ben Chiarot had a bit of a tussle in practice and there have been other rumblings of Raymond getting into it during practice with a teammate, I think it’s just a heat of the moment thing for them. (The team struggling didn’t help things either, as Raymond seems like Yzerman and Derek Jeter in the sense that he hates losing.)

Verdict: No offer sheet

There are plenty of reasons why Raymond signs an offer sheet, but I still can’t imagine Raymond signing an offer sheet.  Other teams have already been banging on his door, I’m sure, and will roll out the red carpet and champagne for him.

However, I think Raymond stays put as the grass isn’t greener on the other side. He knows a mirage when he sees one.

Why does an offer sheet make sense for Seider?

To start the offseason, I didn’t think either Raymond or Seider were likely to sign offer sheets. If you twisted my arm using the Indian rug burn technique I probably would have said Seider is the likelier of the two candidates if I had to choose. 

Primarily, because I think Seider’s dollar amount is likely to exceed Larkin’s but the Detroit Red Wings usually have an internal cap. For this rendition, it’s likely Larkin where no player is to exceed Larkin’s contract in terms of dollar amount. Of course, the cap increasing over the next few seasons makes things more challenging, so maybe it’s a percentage of the cap instead of a dollar amount that can’t be exceeded at the time of signing a contract, but that’s a bit complicated (or so it seems).

At any rate, and regardless of your actual views of Seider’s impact or success on the ice, there are a couple of undeniable facts. Seider plays the most and hardest minutes of any Detroit Red Wings player. This isn’t going to change any time soon. 

The Detroit Red Wings don’t have an upcoming prospect who can fill Seider’s role and they’re not available in the free agent market or via trade. If Hell freezes over and someone is available, the contract is too steep or the trade price is unreasonable, so it’s out of the realm of possibilities for a stingy Yzerman. (And, no, Yzerman isn’t going anywhere much to the dismay of unhappy people.)

Another team could offer a higher dollar figure than the Detroit Red Wings are willing to go at this time. I’m not sure why either party would want a shorter term deal at this point, to me it just makes sense that both parties are seeking an eight-year contract. Seider’s already proved his worth and the way he plays, it might get too dicey in three-to-five years to confidently say that an injury won’t impact his game (given the style of play of Seider).

On a more personal note, I wonder if off-ice things happened especially in reference to Seider’s former defensive partner in Jake Walman.

I get that there were injuries involved, but to me it was a very strange situation. Regardless of what happened, if Seider didn’t like how things ended with Walman and blames the Detroit Red Wings for it, then I could see him being a bit unhappy with the team.

His closing remarks for the season didn’t indicate anything but love and the expectation that he’s returning to Detroit next season (even without the contract talks starting), so I tend to believe Seider’s words that there’s no bad blood:

Lastly, on a more light note, I can’t help but think of Seider’s agent. Granted, it is a business. There shouldn’t be any held grudges or animosity between an agent and a team, but if ever there was it would be with Claude Lemieux and the Detroit Red Wings.

If there were ever a time or scenario he could get back at the Detroit Red Wings, Seider’s new contract would be a great place to fire back. 

Why does an offer sheet not make sense for Seider?

To me, Seider epitomizes the Detroit Red Wings. In every conceivable way, he’s the face of the organization, its fans, and the city.

Always underestimated, not quite understood by outsiders, but the hardest workers with a resilient attitude. From day one, Seider’s been nothing short of entertaining and the fans love him, and he seems to love them right back.

He’s found his niche within the organization, the it guy (if you will). There aren’t any greener pastures (unless you go to my uncle’s lawn, his is by far the greenest), he doesn’t even seem to contemplate playing anywhere else, Seider just seems to be in his element within the Detroit Red Wings organization.

His relationship with Larkin and Raymond is helping build a foundation for the new dynasty to begin, and I’m not sure that will change anytime soon.

I really can’t fathom him thinking of signing an offer sheet, let alone doing the deed. (This isn’t a slight against other players who do or a flex for Seider, as each player has his own values in life and I support people who don’t see that within their current organization.)

For the Detroit Red Wings, I can’t see any contract that wouldn’t be matched.  Yzerman has afforded the Detroit Red Wings flexibility in both dollar amount and terms for Seider, so there’s nothing out of reach.

Verdict: No offer sheet

There isn’t a shred of doubt in my mind that Seider signs an offer sheet. He’s here for the long haul, and no amount of offers from another team will change that for Seider, in my opinion.

With the way that Yzerman has built his organization, I’m not truly worried about either Raymond or Seider, their contracts, or offer sheets at this time. The contracts seem like a matter of when they’ll get done, not if. 

To anyone worrying about their contracts, I can understand a pause to think about the topic, but I reckon there are more concerning matters to discuss. Like, can’t we change the sponsor on the jersey? Maybe another Meijer ad or a pure Michigan logo, perhaps. 

What are your thoughts about the Seider and Raymond contract situations?