Red Wings News

[Zekyl]

Report was he turned down 75mil over 10 and we get him for 72mil over 12? I'll take it! What other sport signs its players to 10-12-20 year contracts?

[WTFchris]

I think the 75 mil over 10 years (that he turned it down) was a total BS rumor. So I doubt that offer even existed.

72 mil over 12 years is 6 mil a season. I'll take that for a top 5 player.

[D's Nuts]

Not too shabby.

[Glenn]

12 years, lol

[Zekyl]

So now it comes down to Hossa or Franzen (which will obviously mean it comes down to getting Franzen signed unless Hossa wants to take a discount to stay here for a few more seasons)

[WTFchris]

Looks like his last 3 years will be pretty damn cap friendly:

Henrik Zetterberg will be a Red Wing for life

by Ansar Khan Wednesday January 28, 2009, 3:18 PM


The Red Wings made it official at Wednesday's press conference, announcing the signing of Henrik Zetterberg to a 12-year contract. The total value is $73 million, for a cap hit of $6.08 million per season.
"Henrik wanted to be a Red Wing for life and we wanted to keep him a Red Wing for life,'' Wings general manager Ken Holland said. "We worked hard to find a number that made both sides very happy.''
Zetterberg will earn $7.4 million next season, slightly less than captain Nicklas Lidstrom's $7.45 million salary, but then his contract will escalate for a few years, though it never reaches $8 million a season. It gets progressively lower after a few seasons.


Here is how it breaks down:
09-10 $7.4 Million
10-11 $7.75 Million
11-12 $7.75 Million
12-13 $7.75 Million
13-14 $7.5 Million
14-15 $7.5 Million
15-16 $7.5 Million
16-17 $7.5 Million
17-18 $7.0 Million
18-19 $3.35 Million
19-20 $1.0 Million
20-21 $1.0 Million

They were able to get a low cap figure by paying him only $1 million per season in the final two years.
Really a good deal for both sides. Who could have imagined coming into the season that they'd be able to get Zetterberg for a cap figure of about $6 million? He left some money on the table, but the trade off is he's getting the longest deal in club history. He could have made more elsewhere, but why leave an environment in which you're so happy?
"I'm real happy I don't have to do it (contract negotiation) again,'' Zetterberg said. "I'm going to be here for the rest of my career and I'm looking forward to spending 12 more years here.''

So he'll be 38, 39 and 40 in those low cap years.

[Tahoe]

They were able to get a low cap figure by paying him only $1 million per season in the final two years.

Thats pretty friggin cogent. I don't know if thats done regularly...if not, props to KH.

[UxKa]

I like Zett... but do you really want to sign a player for 12 years in a sport like hockey?

[WTFchris]

Well, it's really a 9 year deal. I'm no expert, but I imagine if he had to retire from injury that he'd come off the books, right?

[WTFchris]

Leino, Ozzy, Hossa/Franzen:

Red Wings' Ville Leino proving he belongs in NHL

by Ansar Khan Tuesday February 17, 2009, 12:20 AM


DETROIT -- It is a testament to the Detroit Red Wings' depth and firepower that they can keep a player with Ville Leino's abilities in the minors for most of the season and not miss him.
In his short time with the Red Wings, Leino is proving to be the NHL-ready player the club thought he was when it signed him in May.
"He's got a really quick release, really good shot," linemate Marian Hossa said. "He was a really good player in the Finnish League and he's showing it. When he's got the puck, you can tell he knows what to do with it. He's not a huge guy, but he's using his head and he's always in the right spot."
Leino has three goals and two assists in eight games since being recalled from Grand Rapids. The left wing has played mostly on a line with Hossa and Valtteri Filppula.
"He's got skill, he knows how to play without the puck," Red Wings coach Mike Babcock said. "He's playing with two guys that can really skate.
"He's not a skater, so they do what they do for him and when he gets the puck in the (offensive) zone, he can really hang onto it and make plays. He's got good poise."
A late bloomer who went undrafted, Leino won the Oskanen Award as the Finnish Elite League's top player in the regular season. He finished second in points (77) and third in goals (28).
He played well enough at training camp and throughout the preseason to earn a roster spot, but the Red Wings did not have the salary-cap space. He was second in scoring with the Griffins (11 goals, 37 points) at the time of his recall, made possible due to defenseman Brad Stuart's rib/neck injury.
"I think I changed a lot of my game, especially when I play with Hossa," Leino said. "I don't try to keep the puck as much. I try to make plays, try to go more north-south, go faster, get shots, go to the net."
With Tomas Holmstrom out at least another month after surgery for a sports hernia, the Red Wings will have ample opportunity to assess Leino and decide whether to use him in the playoffs.
Leino is finding life in the NHL to be less of a grind. The long bus rides in the AHL wore on him.
"You travel a lot and you don't sleep that well (in the AHL)," Leino said. "A lot of games on Friday, Saturday, Sunday. So if you're going to go through that, you can (deal) with all the travel and games here. You recover a lot more and easier."
Leino is a restricted free agent. Next season, he is projected to replace one of the players the Red Wings can't afford to retain due to salary-cap restrictions.
"I like playing here, good players all around, good team," Leino said. "It's a great place to play and get better as a player, especially for me.
"I hope I'll have a future here and stay in Detroit."
Contract talks continue
Red Wings general manager Ken Holland said he has had contract talks with the agents for Johan Franzen and Hossa in the past week, but no deal is imminent.
He has had more discussions with Franzen's agent and said there is a possibility of a deal. But he wants to continue talks with Hossa. He can sign only one before the end of the season.
"If I have any chance to sign two, I got to get their cap number as low as possible," Holland said. "There's a lot at stake for the players and the club. I'm trying to figure out ways to keep as many players as possible.
"If I get close with one, I'm going to sit tight and see where I get with the other."
Club ponders Osgood's workload
Holland said he has considered recalling goaltender Jimmy Howard from Grand Rapids for a couple of games, but it is more important to get Chris Osgood back on track.
"I don't know if this is the time to bring up Howard, we got to get Osgood going," Holland said. "The question with Chris is, do you keep playing him more and more, or do you give him a mental breather and then play him more (later in the season)? I'm not sure what's the best way to go about it."
After Osgood's rough outing in Sunday's 6-5 shootout loss to Colorado, Babcock said Ty Conklin will start Wednesday against Nashville.
Injury update
Franzen (bruised hand) skated and shot the puck Monday, the team's off-day, but didn't feel 100 percent, Holland said. The team hopes he can play Wednesday.
Holland estimated Stuart is two weeks away. He did not have an update on defenseman Brett Lebda, who has missed two games with back spasms.
Right wing Darren McCarty (hernia surgery) might be able to play for Grand Rapids this weekend.