The Detroit Red Wings have two players coming off their entry-level deals – Moritz Seider and Lucas Raymond. Both Raymond and Seier are restricted free agents and were crucial to the Red Wings’ success, which fell a couple of points short of making the playoffs.
With training camp approaching, neither player has signed an extension, and many wonder when those extensions will come. And with the New Jersey Devils and Dawson Mercer, the Red Wings need these players at training camp.
There is 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 was going to be. Seider is a franchise-changing defenseman. He has become the number-one defenseman in Detroit.
Since making the 2021-22 season opening night roster, he has played in 246 regular season games, tallying 134 points (21 goals and 113 assists) and averaging around 22 minutes a game.
He won the Calder Trophy for Rookie of the Year in 2021-22 with 50 points, including 43 assists). He was first rookie defenseman to have at least 50 points since Nicklas Lidstrom did it in 1991-92 with 60 points.
NHL Rumors: The Detroit Red Wings Have Two RFA Unsigned – Moritz Seider and Lucas Raymond
Seider is a staple on the Detroit Red Wings’ backend. They need him to grow and be in camp, similar to Lucas Raymond, who was taken fourth overall in the first round of the 2020 NHL Draft.
It has taken Raymond time to develop. Again, he lost some time because of COVID shortened seasons in North America and worldwide. You are finally seeing other players from that draft class developing into the players they were expected to be, like Quinton Byfield and Alexis Lafreniere.
Raymond is finally showing his player tools. Last season was his 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 where he only had 45 points (17 goals and 28 assists). Many thought Raymond would have a similar sophomore to his rookie year when he scored 57 points. Now, he is a crucial piece of the Red Wings offense.
The question is, when do these players sign? 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 could be a similar situation.
That is the worst-case scenario because they must play catch-up and risk injury. Both Drysdale and Zegras were hurt last year. The Wings can’t afford that if they want to make the playoffs this season.
We know Steve Yzerman’s history. You know he is 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 hit it big on their following deals.
NHL Rumors: Sidney Crosby, Lucas Raymond, and Brad Marchand
So now the question becomes, 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 is possible to lock these players in on long-term deals at market value.
With the Minnesota Wild giving Brock Faber $8.5 million over eight years, you have to wonder if that is something the Seider camp is looking at. Meanwhile, the Raymond camp looks at the $7.4 million AAV Seth Jarvis signed in Carolina.
Both players want long-term deals, while Yzerman intends to go on a shorter-term deal. While the panic button should not be pushed yet, and they have until training camp, the Detroit Red Wings better get them into camp.
The Red Wings are expected to make the playoffs this season. Not having these players ready to go hurts their chances.