Point: How do you negotiate your own player’s deals with his contract?
Detroit has enough cap space to fit Pettersson’s cap figure, but that is because they are getting entry-level deals providing value in the form of Simon Edvinsson and Marco Kasper. Additionally, Alex Debrincat’s $7.875 million cap hit is an absolute bargain. Edvinsson will go from below $1 million to around $7-8 million minimum with his next extension. Debrincat will probably make closer to $9 million on the open market with the salary cap rising exponentially the next two summers.
Bringing in Elias Pettersson adds another big ticket contract to a roster in need of several extensions. If Kasper has a breakout season next year, that figure goes up even higher. Detroit has typically tried to operate with an internal cap. Currently, Larkin’s $8.7 million tops the roster. If the team adds someone making nearly $12 million without the production to back it up, what will it do to future contracts?
Counterpoint: You can’t let arbitrary figures tie your hands
Admittedly, this is a harder point to get around. The challenges coming for Detroit in the next two offseasons are real. If goaltending prospects Sebastian Cossa and Trey Augustine prove capable NHL netminders, that will help a lot during their entry-level contracts to balance things out. If the Red Wings manage to lock up Edvinsson, Debrincat and Kasper while having Pettersson, they may have to let John Gibson go. That can make things difficult for a team that is ostensibly hoping to be Stanley Cup contenders.
On the other hand, structuring the internal cap limit in a world where the salary cap rose $20 million after the deals to Larkin, Raymond and Seider were signed makes little sense. The landscape changed and a good team adapts to changing circumstances. The goal is to build the best roster you can and Pettersson’s talent is a significant swing towards that aim.