July 1 was once a time where Detroit Red Wings fans could count on some excitement. With free agency starting on that date, even if the team struck out with the top tier UFAs, you could count on the team at least being in the mix.
Those days appear to be done for the foreseeable future.
As the team prepares to move into Little Caesar’s Arena — its new $863 million, state of the art arena — it does so with a whole lot of familiar faces, one new one, and a fan favorite waiting for a contract.
The new face is right-handed defenseman Trevor Daley. Fresh off two straight Stanley Cups with Pittsburgh, Daley inked a three year, $9.5 million contract in the summer. He will be paired — at least in the early going — with Danny DeKeyser. DeKeyser has struggled since signing his six year, $30 million contract before the 2016-17 season, and the hopes are that Daley will help the 27-year-old turn his game around.
But, the big offseason signing was keeping RFA Tomas Tatar, who signed a four-year deal which will average $5.3 million per year. Tatar led the Red Wings with 25 goals last year, his third straight 20-plus goal season. And at 26-years-old, there’s hope that his contract will be a bargain by the time it expires.
One player who is yet to be signed is 22-year-old speedster Andreas Athanasiou, which is a disconcerting development. Athanasiou was second on the team with 18 goals last year in limited ice time (under 14 minutes per game), and is a key long-term cog along with Dylan Larkin and Anthony Mantha.
He reportedly has a 2-year offer on the table for $1.9 per year, but the Red Wings salary cap situation is going to make a higher contract harder to come by. The team is cap-strapped with older, overpaid players on immovable contracts. Something should get done, but the longer this drags out, the worse it is for the team.
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