Datsyuk Signs 7-year, $46.9M Contract Extension

[sibiriak 84]

You're not getting it. This isn't 6.7 million dollars for a season or two. This is 6.7 million dollars for the next seven years. If 50 million dollars isn't an "albatross" of a contract, just what is?

I would have never have guessed that when initial reports were saying Datsyuk and Greenstin wanted 7 million dollars, Ken Holland's counter-offer would've been 6.7 for the next 7 seasons. I'm still in shock at this deal.

I think you are not getting it. NHL salaries rise 7-10% per year. $6.7 mil. per year will be a bargain in a couple of years. Player's of comparable talent will be getting $7-$8 mil. in two years. Datsyuk will be cheap.

[haroldsnepsts 4,826]

I don't see what the big deal is, the Wings win on this one, not Pavel.

Yeah, he is getting paid good money, but he has HUGE pressure and obligation to be the TOP Wing for those 7 seasons. And if he isn't, he gets traded for a couple players to a smaller market team (hello Carolina, I'm looking at you).

The contract tells me more about his DEVOTION to THIS team, not his greed. No one signs 7 year deals, you know why? Because no one wants to sign 7 year deals in case they want to leave some day. But Pavel has signed a "lifetime" contract in some ways. He will not be an "elite" player at 35, but he will have his best seasons as a Wing, or he will be out of here.

Wings don't lose anything in this one, no draft picks, no minor league players. They only gain a hungry, talented player with something to prove to all his nay-sayers, or half of the fans of Hockeytown.

That's just it. If Datsyuk doesn't perform, the Wings are still stuck with him. No one will want to pick up a contract of an underperforming player for that much money for that length of time.

no one signs 7 year deals because they shouldn't. from a management side, it's just too long to commit that much money against the cap.

Edited April 7, 2007 by haroldsnepsts

[silkyjohnson13 0]

That's just it. If Datsyuk doesn't perform, the Wings are still stuck with him. No one will want to pick up a contract of an underperforming player for that length of time.

no one signs 7 year deals because they shouldn't. from a management side, it's just too long to commit that much money against the cap.

That's just it too. "If". Everything here is an assumption. Let's just let the thing play out at least 1 season before we start calling out Kenny Holland.

We're 23 pages through and back exactly where we started. Only time will tell...

Edited April 7, 2007 by silkyjohnson13

[sibiriak 84]

You're not getting it. This isn't 6.7 million dollars for a season or two. This is 6.7 million dollars for the next seven years. If 50 million dollars isn't an "albatross" of a contract, just what is?

I would have never have guessed that when initial reports were saying Datsyuk and Greenstin wanted 7 million dollars, Ken Holland's counter-offer would've been 6.7 for the next 7 seasons. I'm still in shock at this deal.

I'm sorry, were you expecting Steve Yzerman to say that this deal blows?

Not only does Datsyuk have to become a playoff performer for this deal to be justifiable, he has to become the team's MVP within the coming years. Some would suggest he already is, but keep in mind that when Henrik Zetterberg was healthy and in the lineup, there was absolutely no question who the best player on this team was.

a) If Yzerman diagreed with this deal, I would expect him to keep low profile, rather than outright lie. Instead, he seemed to have been the moving force behind this deal.

b) Zetterberg was an RFA with limited bargaining power when he signed his 4 year management friendly deal. Whether he is the better player or not will not matter for another two years until his current deal is up.

c) Arguably, Datsyuk is the team MVP so far this season. It is between him and Hasek in any case.

[haroldsnepsts 4,826]

That's just it too. "If". Everything here is an assumption. Let's just let the thing play out at least 1 season before we start calling out Kenny Holland.

We're 23 pages through and back exactly where we started. Only time will tell...

Agreed.

My post was just referring to the guy saying if he doesn't perform we'll just trade him.

That won't happen. No one will want him with that contract chained to his ankle.

Edited April 7, 2007 by haroldsnepsts

[Chase 0]

Agreed.

My post was just referring to the guy saying if he doesn't perform we'll just trade him.

That won't happen. No one will want him with that contract chained to his ankle.

Your probably right. Datsyuk is all ours for the next 7 years, and that can be a very good thing or a bad thing. Right now, seems to be a good thing with the way he is playing.

[J-Swift 0]

I think you are not getting it. NHL salaries rise 7-10% per year. $6.7 mil. per year will be a bargain in a couple of years. Player's of comparable talent will be getting $7-$8 mil. in two years. Datsyuk will be cheap.

First off, you're making some pretty big assumptions over what will happen to NHL contracts in the coming seasons. And what about in 5 to 6 years time? Will he still look cheap then? Who really knows? We're taking a huge risk here.

a) Instead, he seemed to have been the moving force behind this deal.

c) Arguably, Datsyuk is the team MVP so far this season. It is between him and Hasek in any case.

a) You're basing this on what exactly?

b) As I specifically stated in an earlier post, you'd be crazy to say something like that back when Zetterberg was in the lineup.

Your probably right. Datsyuk is all ours for the next 7 years, and that can be a very good thing or a bad thing. Right now, seems to be a good thing with the way he is playing.

I can agree with this. Datsyuk has played great lately, and if he continues his high level of play into the playoffs and the coming seasons, it'll be hard to find fault with this deal.

But it's sheer nonsense to think that Pavel will be going anywhere during the next seven years, regardless of his play.

Edited April 7, 2007 by J-Swift

[Aussie_Wing 354]

$6.7 per season for 7 years! Ouch!

[Winged Scooter 0]

Sorry, don't have time to read all 555 posts , but seems to me like Mr.( I don't want to sign players for more than one year) Holland just kicked out a Dipietro-style contract. What the hell????

[sibiriak 84]

First off, you're making some pretty big assumptions over what will happen to NHL contracts in the coming seasons. And what about in 5 to 6 years time? Will he still look cheap then? Who really knows? We're taking a huge risk here.

a) You're basing this on what exactly?

b) As I specifically stated in an earlier post, you'd be crazy to say something like that back when Zetterberg was in the lineup.

.

a) I'm basing my assumptions about how fast the salaries will rise on on how fast the salaries have risen in the past, and what the projections are for the next two years. Salary cap started at $38M last season, and is projected to be $50M in two years. That's $12M increase in 3 years or 12/38=35.3% /3 = approximately 10% per year.

b) During today's press-conference, Mike Illitch, Ken Holland, and Steve Yzerman all said that Yzerman had a large role in making this decision based on his familiarity with Datsyuk as a player and as a person. Later Holland said that again in his interview to 1270 radio talk show, and Mike Babcock called Datsyuk a leader and paraised him tremendously talking to the same show.

c) Datsyuk has better stats than Zetterberg, and he played more games, and he carried the team for more games this season. Zetterberg was injured, so it is not a knock on him, but the fact remains that Datsyuk was more instrumental in reaching the playoffs and contending for the first overall.

d) When Datsyuk has decent playoffs this year, you and your co-thinkers will have absolutely no grounds left to claim that Datsyuk is overpaid, overrated etc.

Edited April 7, 2007 by sibiriak

[J-Swift 0]

a) I'm basing my assumptions about how fast the salaries will rise on on how fast the salaries have risen in the past, and what the projections are for the next two years. Salary cap started at $38M last season, and is projected to be $50M in two years. That's $12M increase in 3 years or 12/38=35.3% /3 = approximately 10% per year.

b) During today's press-conference, Mike Illitch, Ken Holland, and Steve Yzerman all said that Yzerman had a large role in making this decision based on his familiarity with Datsyuk as a player and as a person. Later Holland said that again in his interview to 1270 radio talk show, and Mike Babcock called Datsyuk a leader and paraised him tremendously talking to the same show.

c) Datsyuk has better stats than Zetterberg, and he played more games, and he carried the team for more games this season. Zetterberg was injured, so it is not a knock on him, but the fact remains that Datsyuk was more instrumental in reaching the playoffs and contending for the first overall.

d) When Datsyuk has decent playoffs this year, you and your co-thinkers will have absolutely no grounds left to claim that Datsyuk is overpaid, overrated etc.

a) So you honestly believe that the NHL cap is going to continue spiral upward because it has shown an increase in its very first two years in existence?

b) I hardly think you can take a lot out of what was said today at face value. You cannot expect anyone within the organization to say anything other than postive comments about Pavel today.

c) Previous to his injury, Zetterberg had more goals, more points, and a better plus/minus than Datsyuk. Not to mention the fact that he lead the league in GWGs. He was playing on the top line, the top PP unit, the top PK unit, and when the game was on the line with a minute to go, you knew Hank would be out there. There was an article on ESPN, I do believe, which discussed his chances for the Hart trophy, and the general consensus around here was that the Selke trophy had his name written all over it. You cannot downplay his contriubtions to this team. And when his contract is up in a couple of years, he is going to want the exact same deal.

d) My "co-thinkers"? I love how you group me in with the people who hate Pavel Datsyuk. I have nothing against the guy, and I wanted him back just as much as anyone else. But there isn't a single player on this team I'd be willing to give a contract this long and for this much. No, not even Zetterberg. And I'm sorry, but Datsyuk's going to have more than just a decent playoffs this year to shut anyone up; the guy's going to have to be a scoring machine for any of this deal's nay-sayers to be satisfied.

It seems to me that if Datsyuk really wanted to stay here, we should've given him a chance to show us that his past playoff disappearing acts were a fluke, and then offered him the same deal. I might have been a little more receptive to this contract extension if that were the case.

[Rice 42]

Sorry, don't have time to read all 555 posts , but seems to me like Mr.( I don't want to sign players for more than one year) Holland just kicked out a Dipietro-style contract. What the hell????

Right, because seven years is so comparable to fifteen.

[YoungGuns1340 1]

Im conflicted...but at the same time I think people are absolutely spoiled when it comes to Datsyuk. Watching him every game you get used to his trickery, but hes one of the most exciting guys in the league. Add that on to what hes brought in terms of leadership, defense, and heart - things that hes brought in spades this year - and he truly is an elite forward.

I dont think I like so much the length of the contract - 7 years is a few years too much for me - but the cap will likely keep goin up and thats always a benefit to Detroit. I think people forget how it was before the cap. There are some teams who simply WILL NOT spend up to the cap limit. Detroit ALWAYS has been one of the highest spending teams. Should the cap reach 55M in a few years, you can bet that there will be a number of teams whos payrolls are still hovering around the 40-45M mark.

[daniel1 32]

a) So you honestly believe that the NHL cap is going to continue spiral upward because it has shown an increase in its very first two years in existence?

b) I hardly think you can take a lot out of what was said today at face value. You cannot expect anyone within the organization to say anything other than postive comments about Pavel today.

c) Previous to his injury, Zetterberg had more goals, more points, and a better plus/minus than Datsyuk. Not to mention the fact that he lead the league in GWGs. He was playing on the top line, the top PP unit, the top PK unit, and when the game was on the line with a minute to go, you knew Hank would be out there. There was an article on ESPN, I do believe, which discussed his chances for the Hart trophy, and the general consensus around here was that the Selke trophy had his name written all over it. You cannot downplay his contriubtions to this team. And when his contract is up in a couple of years, he is going to want the exact same deal.

d) My "co-thinkers"? I love how you group me in with the people who hate Pavel Datsyuk. I have nothing against the guy, and I wanted him back just as much as anyone else. But there isn't a single player on this team I'd be willing to give a contract this long and for this much. No, not even Zetterberg. And I'm sorry, but Datsyuk's going to have more than just a decent playoffs this year to shut anyone up; the guy's going to have to be a scoring machine for any of this deal's nay-sayers to be satisfied.

It seems to me that if Datsyuk really wanted to stay here, we should've given him a chance to show us that his past playoff disappearing acts were a fluke, and then offered him the same deal. I might have been a little more receptive to this contract extension if that were the case.

You make some good points here, but I think we're going to be ok as far as $$ goes. Right now, we could say that Pavel and Nick are our "franchise" players and are paid accordingly. When Henrik's deal is up it's not likely that Nick will be making the 7mil that he is now. You shift some of Nick's salary plus the cap increase over to Henrik and presto, you have two franchise players (Dats, Hank) making nearly 7mil - just like we do now. Also, Lang's salary will be gone this year too and i'm sure we can move Flip up to second line center for a lot less than what Lang is making. Sign another gritty Calder type (and Calder too, but at a reduced price) next year who can drop the mitts too (Bert?) and we're in business.

[maltbyrocks18 0]

wow quit all the bitching that we signed the BEST player hands down on the team presently playing for 7 years. sure it was a little pricey but what do you expect for a player of his caliber. Is he just completley underrated by wings fans or what?? He is a great player and makes everyone better around him. I understand the risk people say about if his play goes to crap in a year or so but he is such an exciting fan grabing player worst case scenario one of the bottom dwelling type teams starving for fans( and theres a hand ful) will gladly take him off our hands to put people in the stands. Dats deserves what he got, and if noone thinks he could of gotten that ikind of money in free agency their nuts.

[J-Swift 0]

Dats deserves what he got, and if noone thinks he could of gotten that ikind of money in free agency their nuts.

Well I'd imagine Dats could probably get 7 million out on the UFA market, but I can't imagine anyone offering him that amount per season for longer than we did. And just because another team is willing to give a player that much money, doesn't necessarily mean that we should.

Furthermore, if this is where Datsyuk really wants to play, why should we even be concerned with possible offers from other teams?

[maltbyrocks18 0]

Well I'd imagine Dats could probably get 7 million out on the UFA market, but I can't imagine anyone offering him that amount per season for longer than we did. And just because another team is willing to give a player that much money, doesn't necessarily mean that we should.

Furthermore, if this is where Datsyuk really wants to play, why should we even be concerned with possible offers from other teams?

No he wouldn't get that many years in UFA, but thats because he wouldnt even want that many because hes never even been on the team before. And Just because dats says he wants to be on our team, that doesnt mean we can just give him half of what everyone else at his level makes around the league. Yes we should be concerned, because if people are offering him double what were willing to pay, then hes stupid not to leave.

[Superman54 91]

Im happy with it, i couldnt really imagine Datsyuk with another team.

[Questron 0]

Well I'd imagine Dats could probably get 7 million out on the UFA market, but I can't imagine anyone offering him that amount per season for longer than we did. And just because another team is willing to give a player that much money, doesn't necessarily mean that we should.

Furthermore, if this is where Datsyuk really wants to play, why should we even be concerned with possible offers from other teams?

Swift, ask yourself this question. Do you really think Holland would have given Pavel 6.7 per year if the contract was only for 3-4 years? No, probably more like 5.5-6 mil per year would have been the max he would have got from us.

It's obvious to me that you and a lot of other people on this board don't quite see that the length of this deal is what makes the dollar amount so reasonable. Even in what might be considered a downtime for the NHL, the cap has gone up and is projected to go up again for next season. Why wouldn't it continue to rise at atleast at the same rate especially if the sport picks up in popularity? It should be obvious to anyone who's watched Datsyuk this year that he has stepped up his level of intensity and if he stays healthy there is absolutely no reason to believe it won't continue into the playoffs. The new no clutching, no hooking, no interfering NHL is tailor-made for Pavel's game. Is it a stretch to say that he's probably entering into the prime of his career? Are we really biting the bullet for these next couple of years to keep one of the top talents in the league in a Red Wings' uniform and why won't this contract be a huge bargain in years 4-7? Much like Yzerman, his game is really not based on blazing speed, so even if he gets a little slower toward the last few years of the contract he'll still have his puck handling skills, quick decision making and pin-point passing ability all of which will only get better with time and familiarity with his linemates. Granted, he'll never turn into the gritty grinder type that Stevie morphed into toward the latter stages of his career, but few players in the NHL can match Dats' skillset with the puck.

I think this a great signing for both him and the team. For those who don't like it, you either don't understand understand or trust the CAP ceiling arguement and/or you just don't think Pavel is going to get it done in the playoffs. Of course, I can't prove otherwise, but I for one am confident that both issues will resolve themselves to the team's and the fans satisfaction and we will be praising this deal in about 3-4 years. One last thought on your company line theory...has Stevie Y ever given you the impression that he is the type to say something that he really doesn't believe and didn't he make his comments about Pavel being a special talent to Illitch behind closed doors before any contract was ever signed? I think he really meant what he said about Pavel and I have no reason to doubt his opinion over any poster on this board.

Edited April 7, 2007 by Questron

[GiantRobot 0]

Someone on the HF boards was laughing at this deal, and the subject of Thornton/Datysuk being compared came up. Here is what I posted on that subject...

Thornton has had 4 more years in the league than Pavel has though, and made the playoffs 3 more times.

Career Playoff:

Thornton 46 GP- 8G,19A- 27 points (6 seasons) 9 points best one year total

Datsyuk 42 GP- 3G,12A- 15 points (4 seasons) 6 points best one year total

First 4 nhl regualr season totals:

Thornton- 289GP- 79G,100A- 179 points

Datsyuk- 248GP- 81G, 160A- 241 points (in 41 less games)

Sure Thornton has Datsyuk beat in playoff scoring, with three more years under his belt but he had a grand total of 9 playoff points in his first 4 seasons...Pavel has 15 points in his first 4 years of playoffs...

Thornton didnt even get above 71 points until his 6th year, and pavel has 87 in his fifth...

A MONSTER year for Joe last year doesnt change the fact that Pavel is a good at this point as Thornton was at the same point in his career.

Fairly comprable up to the same point in their careers, regular season and playoffs. If Pavel keeps playing well, he will be a 100+ point player next year.

Thornton is in his 9th season, Pavel is in his 5th.

All im saying is that the upside is there, and though the contract is big, we have a player who is better than thornton was at the same point in his career.

[Guest Tunbo Batman]

I AM SO HAPPY TO BE A WINGS FAN!!!!! YES!!! YES!!!!! SEVEN MORE YEARS OF DATSYUK GOODNESS HELL YEAH BABY!!!!!!!

was that over the top?

anyway, this guy rocks. as said above, you guys are so spoiled. you don't think he's worth it as a franchsie player? try rooting for another team for a month. Then come back and tell me Datsyuk's not one of the flashiest player there is. Plus, he keeps improving in every facet. 87 points and +37? WOW!

I won't eben address money issues because that is so useless. ITS NOT OUR MONEY. WATCH THE GAMES AND SHUT UP ABOUT THE MONEY.

[Anomalously 0]

Someone on the HF boards was laughing at this deal, and the subject of Thornton/Datysuk being compared came up. Here is what I posted on that subject...

Fairly comprable up to the same point in their careers, regular season and playoffs. If Pavel keeps playing well, he will be a 100+ point player next year.

Thornton is in his 9th season, Pavel is in his 5th.

All im saying is that the upside is there, and though the contract is big, we have a player who is better than thornton was at the same point in his career.

Datsyuk is older. Their careers are different. You can't reasonably expect Thornton, starting in the NHL five years younger than Datsyuk to put up the same numbers in his first few years [he's great now but not a Crosby, Ovechkin]... and you can't expect Pavel to play four seasons after Thornton retires.

Edited April 7, 2007 by Anomalously

[RyanBarnes! 293]

I'm not saying I completely agree with it, I'm just responding to your point about the long term discount.

And I'm just responding to that response... Even with a rising cap, there can be no question Greenstin owns Holland after this one. It's too much, for too long.

Absolute insanity. Datsyuk and co. owned Holland in this one, this is even worse than my worst case scenario. Thats not supposed to happen! I guess this shouldve been expected though. We seen it last offseason too when he continually upped and upped his offers to Shanahan. First it was supposed to be a "reasonable price for both sides", then in the end ballooned all the way up 4.5 for 2 years before Shanny finally ended it and chose NY. When push comes to shove, Holland is Richard Simmons and these guys are Chuck Liddell. He probably originally offered somewhere in the 5 - 5.5 neighborhood and we've heard Pavel wanted 7. Thats a pretty one sided negotiation!

I have serious issues with giving this kind of dough to someone with ZERO leadership abilities, thats the biggest issue here. And no, this isnt just an anti-euro remark...i wouldnt have a problem if this were Zetterberg. Theres a big difference between the two.

I concur.

please explain to me why he will be fat with his money and all his desire to play well will disappear, that sounds retarded

Hardly, it makes perfect sense. That's how most players function, even though I'm not sure Datsyuk is one of them. Players tend to have huge seasons in contract years, and then they're production slips the next after the contract is signed. See Draper, but I'm sure there are much better examples out there.

[arnoldbuck 0]

And I'm just responding to that response... Even with a rising cap, there can be no question Greenstin owns Holland after this one. It's too much, for too long.

I concur.

Hardly, it makes perfect sense. That's how most players function, even though I'm not sure Datsyuk is one of them. Players tend to have huge seasons in contract years, and then they're production slips the next after the contract is signed. See Draper, but I'm sure there are much better examples out there.

I know it could almost make a new thread ... But a question I would like to raise is this. After next season Zetts if an UFA isn't he? What kind of contract are we going to offer him? One would imagine He deserves something similar to Dats. Any thoughts?

[RyanBarnes! 293]

I know it could almost make a new thread ... But a question I would like to raise is this. After next season Zetts if an UFA isn't he? What kind of contract are we going to offer him? One would imagine He deserves something similar to Dats. Any thoughts?

If I'm not mistaken Zetterberg has two more years left on his contract after this season. After that he will indeed be looking for a similar contract as Datsyuk, no reason he shouldn't. That's another reason this contract is completely off the charts. Before I was certain that Zetterberg could be had for slightly less, but now the Red Wings basically have no choice but to offer him the same contract as Datsyuk. This contract is extremely expensive from this perspective. It's expensive from the very beginning...