Summer 2023 Off-Season Thread

[lordstanley]

  On 7/4/2023 at 3:04 PM, Dan Gilmore said:

So Debrincat and the Wings are aligned on a new contract? It’s just a case of Ottawa wanting more than the Wings are willing to give up? They want our first round one pick next year and a decent player or two, and the Wings are offering pick #29 and maybe a lesser player? 

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That’s how I interpret it.  But I think Ottawa is likely in weaker position than a week ago. I’d offer them Boston’s #1 next year, period, and hope it is in the high 20s. Don’t need to add a decent player and certainly not a prospect. They can take one of our depth players created by the free agent signing logjam if they wish. 

[lordstanley]

Zadina clears waivers. He will try to make the team. If he can’t, he can be sent down to GR but only if he clears waivers again then. 

[gehringer_2]

  On 7/4/2023 at 6:19 PM, lordstanley said:

only if he clears waivers again then. 

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and I thought baseball rules could be weird.....

[slothfacekilla]

Not too shocked that Zadina cleared, you would think that if a team wanted him they would have made Detroit retain on a trade for nothing.

[lordstanley]

We all need to ease off on Zadina. After all, he has more career goals than Quinn Hughes!

 

Edited July 4, 2023 by lordstanley

[gehringer_2]

  On 7/4/2023 at 6:39 PM, slothfacekilla said:

Not too shocked that Zadina cleared, you would think that if a team wanted him they would have made Detroit retain on a trade for nothing.

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interesting. It sort of argues that Yzerman thinks he has a decent chance of making the team, otherwise why not buy him out now that he's cleared waivers?  Of course things like picking up DeBrincat are still out there impacting Zadina's chances.

I guess there could all kinds of things going on. If they still like his potential maybe they think going unclaimed through waivers might create a useful reality check for him.

 

Edited July 4, 2023 by gehringer_2

[Jason_R]

  On 7/4/2023 at 6:54 PM, gehringer_2 said:

interesting. It sort of argues that Yzerman thinks he has a decent chance of making the team, otherwise why not buy him out now that he's cleared waivers?  Of course things like picking up DeBrincat are still out there impacting Zadina's chances.

I guess there could all kinds of things going on. If they still like his potential maybe they think going unclaimed through waivers might create a useful reality check for him.

 

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Or Yzerman has been hearing Zadina and his agent chirping that he needs more ice time and if they aren’t going to play him, trade him. And Yzerman hung him out there and nobody wanted him. So if he ever wants to play in this league he should go to GR and do what the coaches tell him. 

[gehringer_2]

  On 7/5/2023 at 12:23 AM, Jason_R said:

Or Yzerman has been hearing Zadina and his agent chirping that he needs more ice time and if they aren’t going to play him, trade him. And Yzerman hung him out there and nobody wanted him. So if he ever wants to play in this league he should go to GR and do what the coaches tell him. 

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Sure, but don't they still have to have the thought that might work? If not just cut him loose and save the $.

[buddha]

steve yzerman 2023: "you try and trade him."

[Jason_R]

  On 7/5/2023 at 1:30 AM, gehringer_2 said:

Sure, but don't they still have to have the thought that might work? If not just cut him loose and save the $.

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I'm not an expert on NHL contracts but I'm pretty sure they have to pay him if they cut him, unless they buy him out. But why buy him out at this point? Just send him to GR. If he figures something out, which is not totally out of the question, call him back up. If not, maybe you move him later or just let him play out his contract. 

Pure speculation, but you can imagine a guy like him having an over-inflated sense of his value and not being very coachable. 

[Shinzaki]

I think he gets the yips...presses too much...which leads to more failure...and more pressure.  That whole "fill their nets with pucks" bit from draft night maybe should have been seen as a warning sign that his head wasn't right.  

[gehringer_2]

  On 7/5/2023 at 12:33 PM, Jason_R said:

But why buy him out at this point?

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he's young, the buyout is only 1/3 of his remaining contract - so that saves more than $2M plus the cap space. It's not huge money but it's enough to tell you they must still have some hope he's worth it -  which was my initial point.

[Mr.TaterSalad]

This was shared by a poster on HF Boards regarding the trade and is from TSN's Darren Dreger.

"TSN Hockey Insider Darren Dreger said on the Ray and Dregs Podcast that the winger is looking for a contract similar to the one Timo Meier signed with the New Jersey Devils last week - eight years, $70.2 million, with an average annual value of $8.775 million. Dreger notes, however, that acquiring teams see DeBrincat's value as being close to Jesper Bratt, who inked an eight-year, $63 million contract with the Devils, carrying a cap hit of $7.875 million."

"If that’s holding up a trade, and it sounds like it might be, then it’s got to be up to Alex DeBrincat to reconsider or maybe he stays in Ottawa,” Dreger said."

[Jason_R]

  On 7/5/2023 at 2:25 PM, gehringer_2 said:

he's young, the buyout is only 1/3 of his remaining contract - so that saves more than $2M plus the cap space. It's not huge money but it's enough to tell you they must still have some hope he's worth it -  which was my initial point.

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Yeah, it’s not a big deal either way. But I think he’ll have to pass through waivers again before going to GR. And I think Steve was candid in his comments about Zadina. He’s got some skills, he’s been hindered by injury, but he has an overinflated sense of his market value. 

[slothfacekilla]

  On 7/5/2023 at 12:49 PM, Shinzaki said:

I think he gets the yips...presses too much...which leads to more failure...and more pressure.  That whole "fill their nets with pucks" bit from draft night maybe should have been seen as a warning sign that his head wasn't right.  

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This is a big problem for sure, his confidence evaporates at any slight adversity it seems like.  I also don't think he has much hockey sense either.  Now that he isn't playing against lesser players in juniors it gets exposed big time.  He's great at zone entries and then does the stupidest stuff when he gets in there it is baffling sometimes.

[slothfacekilla]

I just want this saga to end

 

 

[lordstanley]

  On 7/5/2023 at 5:33 PM, slothfacekilla said:

I just want this saga to end

 

 

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Wait until we find out the wife or girlfriend of DeBrincat is best friends with that of Tarasenko and they both want to bring their foursome to the Vegas Knights. 

[buddha]

report that the wings will terminate zadina's contract and he won't contest it.  he wants out so badly he's willing to walk away from the $4 million left on the deal.

[slothfacekilla]

  On 7/5/2023 at 8:19 PM, buddha said:

report that the wings will terminate zadina's contract and he won't contest it.  he wants out so badly he's willing to walk away from the $4 million left on the deal.

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I saw a rumor that he wouldn't report to the AHL if assigned there.  What an ending for a player I had such high hopes for.  I can see him bouncing around rosters as a bottom six checker, but unless he suddenly develops some skating explosiveness and/or hockey sense I can't see him ever doing much more.

[Jason_R]

  On 7/5/2023 at 5:33 PM, slothfacekilla said:

I just want this saga to end

 

 

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The longer it drags out, it seems, the better it is for Detroit. 

ADB wants to be in Detroit. Stevie Y doesn’t want to overpay in assets, in AAV, or in term. A week ago there were like six teams in the running. Now there are two, with reports that the player has been told he far overvalued himself. 

[Jason_R]

  On 7/5/2023 at 8:19 PM, buddha said:

report that the wings will terminate zadina's contract and he won't contest it.  he wants out so badly he's willing to walk away from the $4 million left on the deal.

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Another guy who far overestimated his value. It will be a long time before he makes up that $4 million. 

[Hongbit]

  On 7/5/2023 at 8:32 PM, Jason_R said:

The longer it drags out, it seems, the better it is for Detroit. 

ADB wants to be in Detroit. Stevie Y doesn’t want to overpay in assets, in AAV, or in term. A week ago there were like six teams in the running. Now there are two, with reports that the player has been told he far overvalued himself. 

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They aren’t that far away.   Stevie should  bit the bullet and make the move.  He’s got the cap space.    

Adding Compher and Debrincat to the top 6 forwards is a huge off-season.  

[Shinzaki]

Adding Kostin and Fischer is huge also...we're becoming a heavier team to go up against.

 

I wonder how much Zadina could make playing in Europe?  Tough to see him making anywhere close to the 4 mil he's walking away from in NA

Edited July 5, 2023 by Shinzaki

[slothfacekilla]

  On 7/5/2023 at 9:22 PM, Shinzaki said:

 

 

I wonder how much Zadina could make playing in Europe?  Tough to see him making anywhere close to the 4 mil he's walking away from in NA

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It wouldn't be much I imagine, he isn't a superstar to draw people in and those leagues don't pay a ton in general.  I tried to google the highest salary in the top Czech league and didn't see anything right away.  I can't imagine he would make even say $400k a season but maybe I don't know the European landscape that well.  He has to really think he's going to break out somewhere in the NHL (which would surprise the hell out of me).

[Jason_R]

  On 7/5/2023 at 9:22 PM, Shinzaki said:

I wonder how much Zadina could make playing in Europe?  Tough to see him making anywhere close to the 4 mil he's walking away from in NA

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I was thinking the same thing. If he really requests to get out of a $4 million contract there is almost no imaginable scenario in which he makes it up.