In the strange new world that is professional hockey, Pavel Datsyuk has apparently decided he’d prefer life in Siberia to life in Detroit. Gosh, sounds like a new punchline.
GM Ken Holland told the paper:
“It’s a tremendous loss if he’s not in our lineup. Two years ago he had 30 goals and 68 points, and we were kind of hoping he’d be in that 25-, 30-goal range, 65-, 75-point range, if not better. So you’re taking a guy out of your lineup that we had penciled in for 25-30 goals, 65-75 points, maybe more. We’re not really going to be able to replace that.”
Neither the Freep nor the News reports on the total compensation in Datsyuk’s deal with , but TDN does make this point:
With the new $39 million salary cap in the NHL, many European players could earn more at home, particularly in the Russian Superleague. Atlanta’s young star, forward Ilya Kovalchuk, reportedly is close to a deal in Russia.
Over at On the Wings, they’re understanding and really not all that bummed, pointing to a lack of playoff production from the young center. There’s a bunch of previous Pavel-related posts and comments.
The Canadian Press reports that Henrik Zetterberg, the young Swede who is also much coveted, has signed a four-year contract for $10.6 million, giving up a year of unrestricted free agency. The story also says:
Datsyuk, according to reports out of Russia, signed a one-year deal worth up to $6 million with Avangard Omsk of the Russian Super League but Dynamo Moscow matched Avangard’s offer Wednesday to bring the 27-year-old back to the Moscow club where Datsyuk played during the lockout.(via The Blog that Yost Built)
Hey, any hockey will be more exicting than last year’s options.
And we’d be remiss if we didn’t point out Bob Wojnowski’s column that focuses on Steve Yzerman, heading into his 19th season as the Wings captain, his right knee feeling better and his hopes for this season as high as ever.
This entry was posted in the following categories: Economics, Red Wings