CBC-Sports

Wings do it again with Zetterberg deal

January 28, 2009 09:39 AM | Posted by   Elliotte Friedman  

During the Red Wings' run to the 2008 Stanley Cup championship, general manager Ken Holland was asked how he convinces players to take less than market value to be in Detroit.

"We try to give them the best of everything," Holland said. "We have a private plane, making travel as easy as possible. We have a passionate fan base, but one that allows our players to have their privacy. And we promise them that the money we save on their individual contracts will be used to get other great players to come here."

"We don't want to win a Cup. We want to win Cups.'"

They've taken a critical step toward that goal. On Wednesday afternoon, the Wings will announce that Henrik Zetterberg signed a 12-year deal worth approximately $72 million US. That will put the annual cap hit at $6 million for the length of the deal, phenomenal for a player of Zetterberg's ability.

(Sources say it is front-loaded in the model of the Vincent Lecavalier and Daniel Briere deals, but I don't have the breakdown.)

What's best for Wings fans is that it leaves some flexibility for Holland to deal with his remaining big guys — Marian Hossa, Johan Franzen, and Jiri Hudler. Detroit has 15 players on its current roster signed for $47 million in 2009-10, meaning Holland could have anywhere from $6-8 million to play with (assuming a cap of $53-$55 million).

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