Faceoff Factor

Could The Red Wings' Woes Help The Penguins?

Matt Bodenschatz | Pittsburgh Penguins

Jan 29, 12:46 PM | Hype this story!

As the Detroit Red Wings and their fans celebrate the re-signing of star forward Henrik Zetterberg, the reality is that his “lifetime deal” has put the team payroll for next season at roughly $48 million for 15 players.

If the salary cap flat lines for next season, as is expected to be the case, the Red Wings will have under $10 million to fill out their roster, which includes such key free agents as Marian Hossa (UFA), Johan Franzen (UFA), Mikael Samuelsson (UFA), Ty Conklin (UFA), and Jiri Hudler (RFA).

Quite simply put, general manager Ken Holland has his hands full.

Ken Campbell has a great breakdown of what might happen in “Hockeytown” on his blog at The Hockey News.

“With Zetterberg on the books at $6 million, the Red Wings have about $48.2 million committed to seven forwards, seven defensemen and a goalie. Top prospect Jonathan Ericsson will hold down the eighth spot on defense at $900,000 and the Red Wings will likely install Jimmy Howard as their backup for $717,000. That brings the Wings to about $49.8 million for 16 players.”

He added, “Holland knows he’ll be unable to sign both Hossa and Johan Franzen.”

Then went on to say, “There are other players who probably shouldn’t feel too secure in Hockeytown these days. Valtteri Filppula comes in at a very reasonable $3 million for the next four seasons after this one. Tomas Holmstrom has one more year left on his deal at $2.25 million and Dan Cleary is on the books for $2.8 million for the next four seasons.”

In Pittsburgh, the Penguins and their fans can relate to the salary issues facing the Red Wings. Like the Wings, the Penguins have 15 players locked up for next season, totaling just over $47 million in salary.

The difference, however, is that the Penguins have the majority of their key players signed, leaving room for flexibility in free agency.

Now, many Penguins’ fans are calling for Shero to revisit the idea of signing Hossa, or for Shero to look into Franzen to fill the void left when Ryan Malone headed south to Tampa Bay.

But maybe the two big free agents in Detroit aren’t the most attractive and/or realistic for the Penguins.

Samuelsson is having a decent year, with 32 points and a plus-5 rating. He likely will get an increase on his $1.2 million contract, but it shouldn’t be that much of an increase. He’s learned how to play the defensive game quite well in his years in Detroit, and might be a welcomed addition in the offseason.

Cleary and Holmstrom, both signed beyond this season, also might be worth taking a look at. Sure, Holmstrom is older, but he would provide an affordable, one-year stop-gap at power forward should the Wings look to deal him. And, depending on how he finishes the season, Cleary’s contract may be worth taking a look at.

Who knows how things will shape up in Detroit? Holland has proven to be a mastermind when it comes to managing his team, and with several months left on this season and with six months until free agency, he’ll have plenty of time to do some maneuvering.

But, with Detroit looking to be a contender for the Stanley Cup yet again, don’t expect Holland to start looking to shed salary until the summer.