Nyquist and Red Wings Agree to Four Year Deal

[ScottM]

 

http://www.nhl.com/ice/news.htm?id=774512

 

The Red Wings have come to a contract agreement with Gustav Nyquist which is believed to be worth $19 million. The 25-year-old Nyquist was second on the team in 2014-15 with 27 goals, and led the team with 28 goals in only 57 games in 2013-14.

 

The deal represents a pretty significant raise for Nyquist who made just over $1 million in the past season. The price seems pretty good for a guy with 55 goals and 102 points in the last two years, but I'd like to see if he can return to the scoring pace of two seasons ago.

[jammer2]

@ScottM  You have to remember that he lost a few years with the WIngs Grand Rapids insistence (not that it was a bad thing, but he would have entered the league much quicker on another squad). So, you can't exactly call him a late bloomer, but if I had to pick a player that is going to flat out explode in points, Nyqvust would be one of the first names out of my mouth. He's good enough to be a top 10 scorer, but even if he just maintains his present pace (very, very doubtful), he's still a bargain at under 5 mill a year....the Wings pay Nyqvist a mill less than Petry gets in Montreal? I know Petry was a potential FA...but wow, something is not adding up there....lol.

[teenagemutantninjahertl]

@ScottM  You have to remember that he lost a few years with the WIngs Grand Rapids insistence (not that it was a bad thing, but he would have entered the league much quicker on another squad). So, you can't exactly call him a late bloomer, but if I had to pick a player that is going to flat out explode in points, Nyqvust would be one of the first names out of my mouth. He's good enough to be a top 10 scorer, but even if he just maintains his present pace (very, very doubtful), he's still a bargain at under 5 mill a year....the Wings pay Nyqvist a mill less than Petry gets in Montreal? I know Petry was a potential FA...but wow, something is not adding up there....lol.

 

Do you mean a top 10 points producer or goal scorer? He does not have the scoring chops of Stamkos and Ovechkin, but he does have the skill to be in the top ten in points.

 

Good signing. The value is pretty good. A bridge deal wasn't on the table given he is 25. They are probably going to overpay for 2015-16, but he will be a bargain after that.

[jammer2]

@teenagemutantninjahertl  I think he has the potential for top 10 in points. I think he will be a bargain right off the hop. I expect great things from him next year.

[yave1964]

@jammer2@teenagemutantninjahertl

The big thing with this contract is the Wings got Gus to forgo the first two years of free agency. In that regard, as usual Holland made a smart move.

I do not see Nyquist as a top tier winger but in the next group down. With the Wings his 25-30 goals and ability on the power play he fits in very nicely. The contract is a bargain factoring in the two years given up.

It means that in all likelihood that Abdelkader and/or Helm who are both UFA at the end of the year will be moving on. Given the choice Nyquist is hands down the one whom I would choose to keep. Glad they got this done.

[SpikeDDS]

@yave1964@jammer2@teenagemutantninjahertl

I was surprised when the Wings went out and landed Green and Richards, because making that large a set of moves squeezes the cap, and so one they did that it was inevitable that one of Nyquist, Abby, or Helmer will be moving on. The writing was on the wall.

Honestly, this hurts for me to say it, but as much as I like Helmer--and I DO--I think the Wings might be smarter to keep Abby. We need his size and feistiness more than we need Helm's speed. Larkin will fill that speed need soon, and we need bodies that can hold positions in front of the net and take punishment.

One other comment: Nyquist's contract is yet another testament to the Wings organization in that players have to have a good reason to forego their first 2 years of UFA AND take less than what they could get if they didn't. The reason is that they can see how good it is to play in The D. They can see a definite future here, along with an undeniable history of winning, even if it has been a few years since a Cup. This is simply another example of Holland and players all understanding that most players, if they want to win Cups, have to take less than the most they could make to allow the front office to assemble the talent necessary to win. This all started within the Red Wings organization with Steve Yzerman, who willingly took a pay cut in order to let the front office go out and get FAs to bring in the talent to put them over the top. Lidstrom followed in Stevie's footsteps, never taking more than $8M when he could have walked and taken easily $12-13M somewhere else at that time. At least $9-10 under the cap. But he didn't. Stevie and Nick were doing this even before the cap FORCED this kind of strategy, but I think this has been THE reason that the Red Wings still have their playoff streak. I see this as a continuation of that legacy.

[teenagemutantninjahertl]

@SpikeDDS@yave1964

 

I don't get the argument that they bought two years of UFA, and how the Wings are so good at that. Everyone does that. Everyone. They could have signed him to a one year deal, and then the four year deal and bought three years. Or just sign him to a eight year deal and buy six years. The fact of the matter is, you locked up a guy for four years. 

[SpikeDDS]

I would agree that it holds less weight than it used to. The Wings were doing this before doing anything this was cool and before it was necessary. The fact that they were already doing it is why they have been in the playoffs for a quarter century running.

But you are right that this isn't THAT special. But if you DON'T have the promise of a winning future, and players want out, they aren't signing 4-year deals when they can be playing somewhere else for much bigger dollars in 2. This is just a continuation of why the RWs have been able to consistently be winners, even if not at the pinnacle level all the time, and this has something significant to do with that. And it's been happens for a long time, and appears to be continuing.

[yave1964]

@SpikeDDS@yave1964

 

I don't get the argument that they bought two years of UFA, and how the Wings are so good at that. Everyone does that. Everyone. They could have signed him to a one year deal, and then the four year deal and bought three years. Or just sign him to a eight year deal and buy six years. The fact of the matter is, you locked up a guy for four years.

In two years Nyquist could command more money on the free agent market. The Wings could have given him a two year deal, shorter term, shorter money but paid him a little more on the gamble that in the long run they are coming out ahead and Nyquist is taking money now for possibly a little less down the road. Good deal for both. Shouldn't be that hard to understand.

[WingNut722]

@yave1964 @SpikeDDS  @teenagemutantninjahertl

 

The biggest thing going against Nyquist at this time is that while he's a capable winger and a decent scorer, he's all but non-existent in two straight years' of playoffs.  Holland had this little trick up his sleeves in helping to sign Nyquist to $4MM instead of more, potentially at the expense of arbitration.  

 

I would agree with Spike that Abby is more critical than Helm, but who's to say what happens with Richards this season into next.  Will he sign a long term deal, or will he be a dud?  In considering one of Yave's proposals a few weeks ago, perhaps Drew Miller is the guy to let go.

[jammer2]

@WingNut722  Seems to me, the Wings are going to have to do some "projecting" moving forward. Letting go of guys whose skill sets can be replaced by those prospects who have not yet cracked the NHL lineup.....myself, I would trust Holland and his scouts to pull this off successfully. At least you have the replacements signed to deals.

[Old School Hockey]

@yave1964 @SpikeDDS  @teenagemutantninjahertl

 

The biggest thing going against Nyquist at this time is that while he's a capable winger and a decent scorer, he's all but non-existent in two straight years' of playoffs.  Holland had this little trick up his sleeves in helping to sign Nyquist to $4MM instead of more, potentially at the expense of arbitration.  

 

I would agree with Spike that Abby is more critical than Helm, but who's to say what happens with Richards this season into next.  Will he sign a long term deal, or will he be a dud?  In considering one of Yave's proposals a few weeks ago, perhaps Drew Miller is the guy to let go.

I knew this won't win me any popularity contests!  But this why Howard needs to move on.  Roll the dice with Mrazek and free up 5.4M.  Mrarek will get big money as well.  But not this year.

 

The bad signing of Howard could cost the team MUCH need forward depth.

[jammer2]

@Old School Hockey  Who would want Howard and that albatross contract? If they move him, they will have to retain almost half that salary, which kinda makes moving him useless. Even a contender with an injury would turn to their own farmhands or a cheap rental rather than take on this aging relic.

[Old School Hockey]

@Old School Hockey  Who would want Howard and that albatross contract? If they move him, they will have to retain almost half that salary, which kinda makes moving him useless. Even a contender with an injury would turn to their own farmhands or a cheap rental rather than take on this aging relic.

Everyone said Brian Campbell at 7M was untradable?  A team needing to get to the cap floor.

[jammer2]

Everyone said Brian Campbell at 7M was untradable?  A team needing to get to the cap floor.

 

 HA...I must admit I thought Campbell's deal was untradeable when he got dealt...he was stinking in Chic at the time and looked lost, and WHAM...change of scenery and he was back to his old self, producing pts. If a team does help you out here, I could see them wanting a middle prospect like Turgeon or Bertuzzi and a mid round pick.....would be worth it.

[WingNut722]

I knew this won't win me any popularity contests!  But this why Howard needs to move on.  Roll the dice with Mrazek and free up 5.4M.  Mrarek will get big money as well.  But not this year.

 

The bad signing of Howard could cost the team MUCH need forward depth.

 

I mentioned this in some other thread (I forget where) - the concensus is that Howard is not playing to a level that is "worth" his contract amount.  Meanwhile, Mrazek is playing much BETTER than his contract amount.  So try looking at both salaries as a $6MM "goaltending budget."  You get two capable goaltenders, both of whom show flashes of brilliance many times throughout the season.  Also, it is quite clear that the No. 1 goaltending spot is up for grabs, so both goaltenders will up their game to be the guy on the ice instead of recording face-offs.  This season will flesh out Howard's capabilities and long-term future with the team.  After that, he'll have three years left on his contract which may make him more palatable to other teams in terms of a trade.  

[Old School Hockey]

I mentioned this in some other thread (I forget where) - the concensus is that Howard is not playing to a level that is "worth" his contract amount.  Meanwhile, Mrazek is playing much BETTER than his contract amount.  So try looking at both salaries as a $6MM "goaltending budget."  You get two capable goaltenders, both of whom show flashes of brilliance many times throughout the season.  Also, it is quite clear that the No. 1 goaltending spot is up for grabs, so both goaltenders will up their game to be the guy on the ice instead of recording face-offs.  This season will flesh out Howard's capabilities and long-term future with the team.  After that, he'll have three years left on his contract which may make him more palatable to other teams in terms of a trade.

In the mean time if Franzen comes back the team is screwed. Some roster player/s will have to go away.

Again trading Howard right helps today. Mrarek will get his money but not right now.

[WingNut722]

@Old School Hockey

 

I honestly doubt Franzen will be back.  I can't remember the last time he played a full season.  This is a guy who still can't even get out of bed some days.  

[yave1964]

@WingNut722

Hope the vacation was a good restful one!

I would love to see Howard moved and Gustafsson resigned as a veteran back up. The problem is Howard has a toxic contract, he cannot be traded unless he plays well and if he plays well we wont trade him. I have loved Mrazek for several years now since he won the Calder Cup for the Griffins as a brash 20 year old. He went into last year, someone asked him if he was hoping to beat out Gus and his reply was no, he wanted to beat out Howard. And he did by years end. It took injuries and a hot streak to make it happen but he outplayed Jimmy by a country mile down the stretch and we absolutely should have gotten past Tampa.

@Old School Hockey I do not think that Franzen comes back, everything is pointing to his career being over. With that the Wings are actually in good cap position going forward. I will point out that you and i have been in complete agreement that he has been an albatross to the team but the power play quit functioning, Zetterberg slipped and the team hit the skids exactly at the time that he went down. If Cole, his replacement had not gotten injured (career ending too) we almost certainly would have advanced.

If if if. That is how i see last year, if we beat Tampa, maybe Babs stays. It is a whole new ballgame in Detroit now. Er, puckgame.

[WingNut722]

@yave1964

 

Enjoyed the vacation!  Good to get away (but lousy to get back).  Nice talking to you too for a bit!

 

I think signs are pointing to Jimmy Howard staying put through the next few years.  The salary is just too great, and any team willing to take him is going to want a couple other guys too, which Holland is not willing to part with.  Perhaps, as you say, a team that needs to get to the cap floor might be interested, but even then, Howard is probably a few rungs down on the list.  

 

So we're stuck.  In the meantime, he has the opportunity to play his heart out and win back his old job as a starter, along with the trust of the Detroit Faithful.  I disagree with you on Gus though.  He's a fair backup, but he's injury prone, and already pretty banged up as it is.  After that, you get Tom McCollum, who I honestly don't know anything about but he doesn't get a lot of approval as being NHL-ready.  I would have preferred letting Gus go, and picking up another backup goaltender elsewhere.  

 

The trick for the next few seasons is that the Red Wings need to become a scoring team once again.  They have the pieces in place now (for what it's worth, they had them last year too), they just need to put the puck in the net.  I think there has been far too much emphasis on skating, passing, and finesse, particularly from the European players.  Maybe it's a coincidence, but I tend to see the Europeans play with more "style" and the North American's play a more "direct/power" game.  Adding Richards and Green, two North American players, should augment the play of Abby and Helm (and replace Cole) in crashing through and getting the puck on net.  

[SpikeDDS]

@WingNut722@yave1964

 

Holland may not move young prospects NOW, perhaps, but by season's end, he is going to have to move some of them anyway because of the signing of Mike Green. Let's face it, we've got a bit of a surplus in the defense department if you consider prospects. This season will be about selecting which prospects we are going to invest in and then moving the other ones to fill other spots for which we have more need. I would hazard a guess that we will be sellers at the trade deadline, not because we will be on the outside looking in, but rather because we have an overabundance of young players and not enough roster spots to keep them all, and we will be trying to get something for them rather than nothing and letting them just skate away.

 

@Old School Hockey

 

I agreed with @WingNut722 before, and I still do. Looking at what I just wrote above, if Mrazek continues his development, and continues displacing Howard in net, I think you'll probably see Howard being packaged with a young prospect or two that we can't afford to keep near the trade deadline. As long as he doesn't totally stink the place out, demand will be higher for teams trying to shore up a backup for the playoff run, and we will have more need to move our young prospects too. In the meantime, because it is highly unlikely that we will be able to dump Howard without keeping a significant portion of his contract/cap hit for now, Howard can continue to help mentor Mrazek, fill in when needed, and possibly increase his trade value. Since we gain nothing by moving him now, it only makes sense to try to improve our negotiating position and further develop Mrazek.

[yave1964]

@SpikeDDS

Nice post. I agree that Mrazek playing well makes it harder to keep Howard, he makes too much money to sit the bench.

Problem is, he makes too much money and trading him would be difficult. The fact that the Leafs were able to deal Kessel proves that anything is possible but Howie would be a hard guy to dump short of eating a large portion of his contract.

So lets say we have to eat 2 million a year. Personally, as long as he is a good soldier and takes it with aplomb with Mrazek becoming the starter, I would rather keep him as the backup. Rather than trade him, eat half the contract and then pay a vet 2 or 3 million to back up the kid, I think I would rather keep Howard PROVIDED he is not a distraction. I love the kid, I have made no secret of that for the past three years or longer and he is developing nicely. As long as Howard does not screw it up by pouting or getting the team divided in the locker room, we really do not have a ready backup in the minors, McCollum is not a real prospect, Coreau is borderline and Patterson is finally ready to play pro but is a mediocre prospect and nowhere near ready. I guess I would rather go with the Devil we know than take a chance on a Stalock or Greiss as the backup tender.

[Old School Hockey]

@SpikeDDSNice post. I agree that Mrazek playing well makes it harder to keep Howard, he makes too much money to sit the bench.Problem is, he makes too much money and trading him would be difficult. The fact that the Leafs were able to deal Kessel proves that anything is possible but Howie would be a hard guy to dump short of eating a large portion of his contract.So lets say we have to eat 2 million a year. Personally, as long as he is a good soldier and takes it with aplomb with Mrazek becoming the starter, I would rather keep him as the backup. Rather than trade him, eat half the contract and then pay a vet 2 or 3 million to back up the kid, I think I would rather keep Howard PROVIDED he is not a distraction. I love the kid, I have made no secret of that for the past three years or longer and he is developing nicely. As long as Howard does not screw it up by pouting or getting the team divided in the locker room, we really do not have a ready backup in the minors, McCollum is not a real prospect, Coreau is borderline and Patterson is finally ready to play pro but is a mediocre prospect and nowhere near ready. I guess I would rather go with the Devil we know than take a chance on a Stalock or Greiss as the backup tender.

As I noted earlier this only becomes a problem THIS year if Franzen comes back.

[WingNut722]

@SpikeDDS

Nice post. I agree that Mrazek playing well makes it harder to keep Howard, he makes too much money to sit the bench.

Problem is, he makes too much money and trading him would be difficult. The fact that the Leafs were able to deal Kessel proves that anything is possible but Howie would be a hard guy to dump short of eating a large portion of his contract.

So lets say we have to eat 2 million a year. Personally, as long as he is a good soldier and takes it with aplomb with Mrazek becoming the starter, I would rather keep him as the backup. Rather than trade him, eat half the contract and then pay a vet 2 or 3 million to back up the kid, I think I would rather keep Howard PROVIDED he is not a distraction. I love the kid, I have made no secret of that for the past three years or longer and he is developing nicely. As long as Howard does not screw it up by pouting or getting the team divided in the locker room, we really do not have a ready backup in the minors, McCollum is not a real prospect, Coreau is borderline and Patterson is finally ready to play pro but is a mediocre prospect and nowhere near ready. I guess I would rather go with the Devil we know than take a chance on a Stalock or Greiss as the backup tender.

 

Not to beat a dead horse, but that again stresses my concept of a universal "goaltending budget".  

 

On the side of the defense, yes, the Red Wings actually have themselves a surplus of defenders.  Seven have been signed to the NHL team so far, without any Griffin prospects so there are options for movement.  One is Jakub Kindl who I've never been a real big fan of.  He's not a bad player, he's just not a real good player, and he can be moved to bring up someone like Marchenko's right hand shot or Oullette's ice sense.  Kindl's contract is up at the end of next season (2017) and I don't think he's worth the salary bump he might expect.  Better to move him now and get something for him then let him go for free.  In the meantime, Kindl is probably the guy who will rotate in and out while Blash tests-drives the prospects.   

[jammer2]

 A few thoughts. Blaishill will have a very nice perspective going into training camp. He will know first hand, who was very dedicated over the summer months. He knows the prospects body types, if they have added muscle, would notice improved cardio.....at least the kids who did work hard will get noticed, due to the coaches unique historical context.

 

 One thing to think about when discussing moving Howard. When Mrazek does steal the #1 job...if he happened to get injured, the season would be lost with a McCollum and or Patterson combonation. Howard would in effect be a very expensive insurance policy. Overpaid...yes...but the back-ups role in case of injury to the starter can make or break a team. At least you would know there is a respectable option waiting in the wings.