Detroit Red Wings Should Learn from Anaheim's RFA Situation From Last Season

Moritz Seider and Lucas Raymond will soon be free agents, providing another two players coming off entry-level deals an opportunity for success with Detroit Red Wings which narrowly missed making playoffs this year. Both Moritz Seider and Lucas Raymond played important roles for Red Wings which finished five points short.
Training camp looms near, yet no player has signed an extension agreement yet; many speculate when these extensions might materialize given New Jersey Devils and Dawson Mercer have both made appearances against Red Wings players at training camps in recent seasons.
Red Wings General Manager Steve Yzerman had good reason for selecting Nick Seider sixth overall in the 2019 NHL Draft; he recognized how talented this teenager would become and has since established Seider as their go-to defenseman in Detroit.
Since being included on the 2021-22 season opening night roster, he has played 246 regular season games accumulating 134 points (21 goals and 113 assists), averaging around 22 minutes per contest.
He earned the Calder Trophy as Rookie of the Year with 50 points (43 assists and 13 goals), becoming the first defense rookie since Nicklas Lidstrom achieved it back in 1991-92 with 60.
NHL Rumors: Detroit Red Wings Have Two RFA Unsigned – Moritz Seider and Lucas Raymond Moritz Seider is an integral piece to their backend unit and they need him to develop. Similar to Lucas Raymond who was taken fourth overall at this year’s NHL Draft.
Raymond has taken some time to develop, having lost some ground due to COVID-shortened seasons in North America and worldwide. We’re finally witnessing other players from his draft class reaching their full potential; examples such as Quinton Byfield and Alexis Lafreniere demonstrate this development process well.
Raymond has finally demonstrated the range of player tools at his disposal. Last season was his finest yet with 72 points (31 goals and 41 assists) over 82 games; including four game-winning goals! he scored 22 points over his final 18 matches of the year!
Raymond was expected to follow-up his rookie year’s performance of 57 points by scoring 45. Now a key component of Detroit Red Wings offense.
Question is when these players sign? Again, Detroit needs these players in camp; as was seen with Trevor Zegras and Jamie Drysdale from Anaheim who missed camp but signed before season started; potentially this scenario may play out again for Detroit as well.
Under such a scenario, they would need to play catch-up while risking injury to keep pace. Both Drysdale and Zegras had their season interrupted last season through injuries; that risk cannot be taken if they want to make the playoffs this time around.
Steve Yzerman’s history speaks for itself – we all understand his reputation for hard bargaining negotiations. Just look at what has transpired with Nikita Kucherov, Brayden Point, Andrei Vasilevskiy and Victor Hedman in Tampa Bay; these players took bridge or mid-term deals before making large cash deals later on in their careers.
Rumors: Sidney Crosby, Lucas Raymond and Brad Marchand
Now the question becomes which player gets a mid-term and long-term deal or whether both receive long-term ones?
The Red Wings currently possess $17,648,194 of salary cap space and can leverage this space to sign long-term deals at market value with any number of their players.
Given Minnesota Wild’s recent offer to Brock Faber for eight years and $8.5 million over eight, one has to wonder whether Seider and Raymond camps have taken notice. Meanwhile, Carolina Panthers signed Seth Jarvis up at $7.4 million AAV AAV which both camps may consider options worth investigating further.
Both players want long-term contracts while Yzerman intends on signing shorter-term deals. Although panic should not yet be activated and they still have until training camp opens its doors, Detroit Red Wings need to get these players signed and into camp soonest possible.
This season, the Red Wings are expected to make the playoffs; not having these players prepared is bound to harm their chances.