The Detroit Red Wings have two players opting out of their entry-level contracts – Moritz Seider and Lucas Raymond. Both Raymond and Seier are free agents and have been crucial to the success of the Red Wings, who have fallen short of making the playoffs.
As training camp approaches, no player has signed an extension, and many are wondering when those extensions will come. And with the New Jersey Devils and Dawson Mercer, the Red Wings need these players in training camp.
There's a reason why Red Wings General Manager Steve Yzerman took Seider sixth overall in the first round of the 2019 NHL Draft. Yzerman knew how talented this kid would be. Seider is a franchise-changing defenseman. He has become the first defenseman in Detroit.
Since making the opening night roster for the 2021-22 season, he has played in 246 regular season games, totaling 134 points (21 goals and 113 assists) and averaging 22 minutes per game.
He won the Calder Trophy for Rookie of the Year in 2021-22 with 50 points, including 43 assists). He became the first rookie defenseman to have at least 50 points since Nicklas Lidstrom did it in 1991-92 with 60 points.
NHL Rumors: Detroit Red Wings have two unsigned RFAs – Moritz Seider and Lucas Raymond
Seider is the cornerstone of the Detroit Red Wings. They need him to grow and be in camp, much like Lucas Raymond, who was taken fourth in the first round of the 2020 NHL Draft.
It took Raymond a while to develop. Also, he lost some time due to the shortened seasons of COVID in North America and around the world. You're finally seeing some players from that draft level develop into the players they were expected to be, like Quinton Byfield and Alexis Lafreniere.
Finally Raymond shows his player tools. Last season was the best, with 72 points (31 goals and 41 assists) in 82 games, including four game-winning goals. He had 22 points in the final 18 games of the season.
This was coming off a year in which he had just 45 points (17 goals and 28 assists). Many thought Raymond would have a similar sophomore year to his rookie year when he scored 57 points. Now, he's a key piece of the Red Wings offense.
The question is when do these players sign? Once again, the Red Wings need these players in camp. We saw what happened in Anaheim last year. Trevor Zegras and Jamie Drysdale, now in Philadelphia as part of the Cutter Gauthier trade. Both missed camp and signed before the season started. This can be a similar situation.
That is a very bad situation because they have to play to participate and get injured in the accident. Both Drysdale and Zegras were injured last year. AWings will not be able to do that if they want to enter the finals this season.
We know the history of Steve Yzerman. You know you are a tough negotiator. We saw what happened in Tampa Bay with Nikita Kucherov, Brayden Point, Andrei Vasilevskiy, and Victor Hedman. Those guys took bridge or mid-range deals before they made it to their next deals.
NHL Rumors: Sidney Crosby, Lucas Raymond, and Brad Marchand
So the question is, does one get a mid-range deal and the other a long-term deal, or do they both get long-term deals?
The Red Wings have $17,648,194 in salary cap space, so it's possible to lock up these players to long-term deals at market value.
With the Minnesota Wild offering Brock Faber $8.5 million over eight years, you have to wonder if that's what Seider's camp is looking at. Meanwhile, Raymond's camp is eyeing the $7.4 million AAV Seth Jarvis signed from Carolina.
Both players are looking for long-term deals, while Yzerman is aiming for a short-term deal. Although the panic button hasn't been pushed yet, and they still have training camp left, the Detroit Red Wings better get them into camp.
It is expected that the Red Wings will enter the finals this season. Not having players ready to go hurts their chances.
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