The Detroit Red Wings have kept their two biggest restricted free agents, and all of them have been accounted for with large contracts. Re-signing Lucas Raymond, and Moritz Seider
First, they announced an eight-year, $64.6 million deal to Lucas Raymond. The deal will carry an $8.075 million cap hit, and will have that salary for the life of the contract, which will run through the 2032 season. There are no signing bonuses on the contract, and he will provide a 10-team no-trade list for the final four years of the deal.
They later agreed to a seven-year, $59.85 million deal that carries an annual cap hit of $8.55 million. Seider will not receive any bonuses for the contract, and will get a salary equal to the cap hit of the contract, and will provide a 10-team no-trade list for the final three years of the deal.
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Lucas Raymond Solidifies Himself in the Top Six for the Future
This contract ends weeks of uncertainty in securing one of their top forwards. Lucas Raymond has already established himself as one of the most effective forwards on the team, with 40 goals and 102 points in his first two seasons in the league. He finished fourth in Calder Trophy voting behind Michael Bunting, Trevor Zegras, and Seider, though he experienced the dreaded sophomore slump, where nearly every aspect of his game took a hit from the eye test to the advanced stats.
However, come 2024, Lucas Raymond showcased his fullest potential, scoring 31 goals and 72 points while playing every game of the season, and his 19.0% shooting average dramatically surpassed his career average of 12.6%, and his takeaways doubled his giveaways. He hasn’t showed a lot of defense, but the Red Wings should get good value if Lucas Raymond can continue producing at a per-game basis, as he is second in scoring among players from the 2020 Draft behind Tim Stützle.
It’s very notable how important Lucas Raymond is to the team’s offensive attack when they were in the hunt for a playoff spot. When every point mattered, it was Raymond who kept coming in clutch time after time to get the crucial points in moving up the standings. Not only does Lucas Raymond fire up the team with his celebrations, but he continues to encourage the team when they’re in the rough.
Red Wings Lock Up Their Top Defenseman, Moritz Seider
Moritz Seider has been Detroit’s clear-cut top defenseman ever since he first stepped onto the ice in the 2022 season, winning the Calder Trophy in his rookie season after 50 points and averaging 23 minutes a night. Moritz Seider hasn’t missed a game since, racking up 42 points in each of his last two seasons, and still averaging the most ice time out of all Red Wings defenders, showcasing himself as an all-situations defenseman, and has supported his linemates, namely Jake Walman and Ben Chiarot.
Originally, Moritz Seider was a surprise at 6th overall in the 2019 NHL Entry Draft, but has since played the 4th-most NHL games (246) of the class, a full 82 games more than any other defenseman. And while there has been criticism whether or not his impact on the team is as big as the role Moritz Seider has been given in Detroit, there’s no arguing that he is the brightest ray of hope in the defensive corps.
With Walman now with the San Jose Sharks, Moritz Seider is now the only active NHL defenseman on the Red Wings under the age of 30, with the majority of the supporting cast on the defense being veterans that don’t get a lot of attention. However, that under-30 narrative can change if top defensive prospect Simon Edvinsson makes it to the full-time roster.
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LGRW !! 🐙 those are 2 good signings and huge to the core of the team.
Justin Tessier agreed