It has been another season for the fans of The Detroit Red Wings to grumble about how one dynamic player here or one less subpar player there could have made the difference between golfing in April or playing the first ever postseason game at Little Caesars Arena.
Along with 31 other NHL clubs, Red Wings fans will be going into the offseason hoping to add an impactful player to raise the hopes and turn the tides of even the least optimistic. Steve Yzerman’s track record has been not only less than stellar when it comes to signing free agent veterans, but most would say, including myself, it has been downright atrocious.
Last offseason there was a genuine belief that Detroit could snag the big fish on the market and reunite Steven Stamkos with his former general manager, only in a different city. Although there are conflicting reports as to why Stamkos did not ultimately sign in Detroit, the simple fact is that his price tag became too high for most of the fanbase to even be mad that we did not obtain his services. Sometimes the sports car is not worth the damage it would do to your wallet.
Now we sit in our living rooms watching other teams in the league battle for professional sports' best trophy, until we can all see what will happen with this year's big fish. Mitch Marner of the Toronto Maple Leafs is set to become a UFA at the end of Toronto’s playoff run and once again, Red Wings fans have hope that Yzerman and brass will do everything in their power to bring him across the border to play for Detroit.
But I am here to tell you, do not get your hopes up. Like Stamkos, Marner is at the top of every teams list to add to their current rosters which will mean that his price tag will skyrocket to those same uncomfortable figures.
In fact, Marner is younger and arguably more talented at this stage of his career, meaning I would anticipate his deal to make him one of the highest paid players in the league when he finally puts pen to paper.
Now I know what you are thinking. It is time for Detroit to be that team who is willing to give the moon and stars to a superstar talent. Being trigger shy has gotten them only so far and stuck in purgatory. If they want to see the playoffs, they need to spend to fix the glaring holes in their lineup.
To an extent, you are probably right. But there are a few things to remember. The salary cap is going up for every team, not just Detroit, which will make GMs across the league look to go on a spending spree.
The other thing that I have been trying to hammer home every chance that I get, is that the Yzerplan is a real thing. It may not be a playbook that Steve Yzerman put together and keeps in his desk as to how to build a team, but it is the way of business that he conducts. It is unlikely that after five seasons, he will switch and undo everything that he has been building.
We have seen contract negotiations come down to the wire with Moritz Seider, Lucas Raymond, and even the team’s captain. With Seider and Raymond in particular, Yzerman showed his hand. It is common understanding that they are the team’s future leaders, if not already considered such, and both of their deals came in under Larkin’s contract.
With your top three players all making under $9 million, it would seem that an internal cap is set with what Dylan Larkin signed at $8.7 mil. AAV. Does that make it difficult to build a championship team? Only if you plan on doing it through free agent veteran signings, which seems to be what the fanbase is begging for.
It is important to keep in mind that it has always been best in the organization’s eyes to build a team through the draft. The ability to draft and develop is clearly the best asset the club has at this time and place. The developing phase is finally coming to an end for most of Yzerman’s draftees and we are seeing the fruits of those labors with the likes of Simon Edvinnsson, Marco Kasper, Albert Johansson as well as the aforementioned Raymond and Seider.
A Marner contract would displace the internal salary cap within the team
Would adding Mitch Marner to the Detroit Red Wings next season make them a better team? Absolutely it would, however the ripple effect of the contract could cause major pieces to topple, creating an unstable future for the team.
The cavalry is closer than ever in regards to the young talent coming up the ranks. We could see up to four more Yzerman draftees play meaningful games with the Red Wings as soon as next season; Mazur, Danielson, Cossa and ASP.
Assuming the roster is able to shed a few contracts through buyouts or trades this summer, continuing to add the talent in the system for a far less dollar figure than Marner would ask for is the most likely scenario for Yzerman and company to continue following through with.