For the first time in a long time coming out of the full rebuild, the Red Wings have to think about the salary cap. As much as that’s progress, it also raises plenty of complications. The biggest so far? Constructing next season’s roster with the kind of depth that Detroit would like to see. With six unrestricted free agents on the main roster — forwards David Perron, Patrick Kane, Christian Fischer and Daniel Sprong, plus goaltender James Reimer and defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere — general manager Steve Yzerman has a lot of contract talks to conduct if he wants players back for another season. “I have an interest in bringing guys back, all of those players to a certain level,” Yzerman said Friday. He said that he had spoken to most of the players at that point at their end-of-season meetings. But, Yzerman can’t really dig into those UFA talks until he figures out his restricted free agent contracts, namely those of star forward Lucas Raymond and defenseman Moritz Seider. However he negotiates these deals — long or short term — will determine how he can negotiate with the rest of the free agents. “(I’ll) kind of get a rough idea — if I can't figure it out sooner than later — of how much money we're going to have,” Yzerman explained. “Because we're getting close to being a cap team, and I gotta really start to think about the cap now. So, some decisions may be simply made based on what our cap situation is.” Right now, the Red Wings have roughly $28 million in cap space for next season if the league salary cap falls at the estimated $87.7 million. The majority of that will likely go toward Raymond and Seider. Analyst Prashanth Iyer wrote a detailed contract projection [https://prashanthiyer.substack.com/p/projecting-contract-extensions-for] for the two, and his projections are notably accurate. He predicted eight-year deals for both players, with Seider checking in at $9.2 million AAV and Raymond at $7.9 million AAV. The latter can probably use his torrid end to the season as some more negotiating material, but in a broad sense the Red Wings could be spending $17 million on those two players. That leaves $11 million to divvy up between everyone else — the six UFAs plus additional RFAs Joe Veleno and Jonatan Berggren. Someone (maybe even sometwo or somethree) will hit free agency. But, perhaps Yzerman could move the cap crunch to the future if he signs Raymond and/or Seider to a bridge deal. At three or four years, a contract for either player would carry less cap hit. The downside is that Detroit could be shelling out even more money in the future, one that projects to be more competitive with top-end draft picks rounding into NHLers. The Red Wings will have to practice their cap gymnastics either now or later, but exactly when that happens will have a large impact on how Yzerman builds next season’s roster. Yzerman shared his thoughts about signing players to eight-year deals fresh off their entry-level deals. Ultimately, he knows the cap headache he’s about to face. “The term and the dollars have got to work for both parties,” Yzerman said. “You have to pay a player enough that he's willing to lock up long (term and) give you eight years. But also it can be dangerous if you're paying an extreme premium for potential because a lot of times it can be difficult. If you don't have a cap issue or any concerns then you don't need to worry about them as much, but those deals make you have cap issues as well. So again, I'm certainly open to it but the term, the dollar amount has got to work for both parties. And that can be a challenge.” If Raymond and Seider have their say, that challenge is what they want. Both declined to talk contract specifics in end-of-season press conferences Thursday, but they both shared their desire to be Red Wings for a long time. “What I do know is that I love this team,” Raymond said of his next contract. “I love the city and I want to be here. But as far as the other things, it's kind of out of my control.” “It's not a big secret: I want to be a Red Wing,” Seider echoed in his own interview. “I think I'm also confident enough that I could be a good asset for this organization, and that really matters for me. And I think then you can talk as long as you want about numbers and lengths and how long the contract could be, but those two first parts fit well — and they do — then I'm pretty confident we've got something done.” Later, Seider said it’s “always a big dream” for players to stick with a team long-term. But he also acknowledged that multiple contracts with Detroit would also be fine with him. Bridge or behemoth, the next contract for Raymond and Seider is still one that keeps them with Detroit. For now, the UFAs will have to wait. In the meantime, players could opt to chase greener pastures in free agency. Patrick Kane was non-committal about inking another deal in Detroit [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/detroit-red-wings/players/it-was-fun-to-be-a-wing-patrick-kane-expresses-gratitude-for-opportunity-in-detroit-uncertainty-around-future], even using past tense to describe his time with the Red Wings. And as much as David Perron said he wants to return [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/detroit-red-wings/latest-news/theres-no-reason-at-this-point-to-think-about-anywhere-else-david-perron-wants-to-stay-with-red-wings], he also has to worry about his cap hit, too. But with two big contracts that he has to get right, Yzerman might take some time to get to them. In the end, that’s a good thing. It means Detroit is more competitive, having to pay star players star contracts. Stressing over the details is what the Red Wings should be doing. Even if it’s taxing work, it’s progress. How Yzerman re-signs Raymond and Seider could determine future progress, too. ALSO FROM THN DETROIT "We're Not a Finished Product": Lalonde, Yzerman Keep Focus on Process Over Playoffs [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/detroit-red-wings/latest-news/were-not-a-finished-product-lalonde-yzerman-keep-focus-on-process-over-playoffs] "The Feeling in the Locker Room Should Be That This is a Springboard": Andrew Copp Reflects on Red Wings Evolution [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/detroit-red-wings/players/the-feeling-in-the-locker-room-should-be-that-this-is-a-springboard-andrew-copp-reflects-on-red-wings-evolution] After Injury Filled Season, Ville Husso Aims to Return Next Season [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/detroit-red-wings/players/after-injury-filled-season-ville-husso-aims-to-return-next-season] ‘There’s no Reason at this Point to Think about Anywhere Else’: David Perron Wants to Stay with Red Wings [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/detroit-red-wings/latest-news/theres-no-reason-at-this-point-to-think-about-anywhere-else-david-perron-wants-to-stay-with-red-wings] "It was Fun to Be a Wing": Patrick Kane Expresses Gratitude for Opportunity in Detroit, Uncertainty Around Future [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/detroit-red-wings/players/it-was-fun-to-be-a-wing-patrick-kane-expresses-gratitude-for-opportunity-in-detroit-uncertainty-around-future] Red Wings Post-Mortem & Frozen Four Debrief: The Silky Mitten State Episode 22 [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/detroit-red-wings/latest-news/red-wings-post-mortem-frozen-four-debrief-the-silky-mitten-state-episode-22] Raymond, Seider Grow Into Roles During Playoff Push
