A million dollars might not seem like much to a team whose payroll approached $80 million two years ago.
But, in today's salary-capped NHL, even a few hundred-thousand dollars could be the difference in a club's ability to re-sign or acquire a key player.
The dilemma for the Detroit Red Wings this summer is trying to stretch their dollars. They're hoping to add about a half-dozen new faces (some from within their system) to their roster. They need a starting goaltender, a physical defenseman and a big, gritty winger, but they don't have a lot of cap room.
The Wings have 11 players under contract for $22.6 million. The cap for 2006-07 is expected to be roughly $43 million. Once the Wings sign defenseman Nicklas Lidstrom (likely for around $8 million), they'll have about $12 million to spend on nine or 10 players -- actually, less than that because they want to leave $1 million to $2 million for the flexibility to make a midseason move or two.
It's going to be difficult to stay under the cap without trading some salary. What moves they make will also be dictated by what happens with their own unrestricted free agents, who returns and at what cost:
Lidstrom: The club is hoping he'll accept slightly less than the maximum salary, allowing them to acquire a player or two they might not otherwise be able to afford. But, Lidstrom holds all the cards. If he wants the maximum deal (20 percent of the team's salary cap), he'll get it. He is certain to sign before July 1, the start of free agency.
Brendan Shanahan: The Wings want him back, but they probably can't afford to give him more than the $2.28 million he earned last season. He might explore the free-agent market, and perhaps playing in Toronto or Boston would appeal to him. But, chances are, he'll take less money to remain in Detroit.
Steve Yzerman: He continues to struggle with his retirement decision, leading some to believe he is leaning toward returning. The Wings would like to know before July 1, to have a better handle on precisely how much money they'll have to spend, but they'll wait as long as it takes.
Chris Osgood: Expect him to return as the backup goalie. He'll come relatively cheap, he's low maintenance, has a wealth of playoff experience and handles pressure well. If he hadn't injured his groin, he would have been inserted into Game 5 of the playoffs against Edmonton after the Wings fell behind 3-0 in the second period.
Manny Legace: The Wings will explore all free agent and trade possibilities before deciding whether to offer Legace a contract. He has the talent, but some question his mental toughness. If they can't find anyone better, the Wings haven't ruled out the possibility of starting next season with both Legace and Osgood while continuing to pursue trade options.
Other goalies: Don't expect Anaheim's Jean-Sebastien Giguere or Carolina's Martin Gerber to wind up in Detroit.
Giguere has one year left on his contract at close to $4 million and might be dealt after losing his starting job in the playoffs to Ilja Bryzgalov. But, there are concerns that a chronic hip ailment could be affecting Giguere's butterfly style.
There's a couple of reasons why the Wings won't pursue Gerber, an unrestricted free agent. While he played well during the regular season, his playoff performance -- he lost his job to Cam Ward -- raises too many red flags.
What's he done that Legace hasn't? Also, Gerber is likely to seek a long-term deal and possibly get it from Tampa Bay or Toronto. After seeing so many goalies fizzle after signing lengthy contracts (Nikolai Khabibulin, Evgeni Nabokov, Marty Turco), the Wings aren't going to commit more than two years to anyone, with top prospect Jimmy Howard waiting in the wings.
Dwayne Roloson is almost sure to re-sign with Edmonton. That leaves Buffalo's Martin Biron, a restricted free agent, as perhaps the most logical choice for the Wings.
Trade possibilities: The two most likely trade candidates are defenseman Mathieu Schneider ($3.3 million next season) and center Robert Lang ($3.8 million).
Schneider is coming off his most productive season, but the club might feel that young Niklas Kronwall can adequately replace that offense. The problem with trading Lang is that big, strong centers are difficult to replace, and his absence would be felt on a team that lacks size. Jason Williams, because of his age (26 on Aug. 11) and skills, would attract much interest if he were offered in a trade, but it wouldn't help alleviate the cap crunch.
But, in today's salary-capped NHL, even a few hundred-thousand dollars could be the difference in a club's ability to re-sign or acquire a key player.
The dilemma for the Detroit Red Wings this summer is trying to stretch their dollars. They're hoping to add about a half-dozen new faces (some from within their system) to their roster. They need a starting goaltender, a physical defenseman and a big, gritty winger, but they don't have a lot of cap room.
The Wings have 11 players under contract for $22.6 million. The cap for 2006-07 is expected to be roughly $43 million. Once the Wings sign defenseman Nicklas Lidstrom (likely for around $8 million), they'll have about $12 million to spend on nine or 10 players -- actually, less than that because they want to leave $1 million to $2 million for the flexibility to make a midseason move or two.
It's going to be difficult to stay under the cap without trading some salary. What moves they make will also be dictated by what happens with their own unrestricted free agents, who returns and at what cost:
Lidstrom: The club is hoping he'll accept slightly less than the maximum salary, allowing them to acquire a player or two they might not otherwise be able to afford. But, Lidstrom holds all the cards. If he wants the maximum deal (20 percent of the team's salary cap), he'll get it. He is certain to sign before July 1, the start of free agency.
Brendan Shanahan: The Wings want him back, but they probably can't afford to give him more than the $2.28 million he earned last season. He might explore the free-agent market, and perhaps playing in Toronto or Boston would appeal to him. But, chances are, he'll take less money to remain in Detroit.
Steve Yzerman: He continues to struggle with his retirement decision, leading some to believe he is leaning toward returning. The Wings would like to know before July 1, to have a better handle on precisely how much money they'll have to spend, but they'll wait as long as it takes.
Chris Osgood: Expect him to return as the backup goalie. He'll come relatively cheap, he's low maintenance, has a wealth of playoff experience and handles pressure well. If he hadn't injured his groin, he would have been inserted into Game 5 of the playoffs against Edmonton after the Wings fell behind 3-0 in the second period.
Manny Legace: The Wings will explore all free agent and trade possibilities before deciding whether to offer Legace a contract. He has the talent, but some question his mental toughness. If they can't find anyone better, the Wings haven't ruled out the possibility of starting next season with both Legace and Osgood while continuing to pursue trade options.
Other goalies: Don't expect Anaheim's Jean-Sebastien Giguere or Carolina's Martin Gerber to wind up in Detroit.
Giguere has one year left on his contract at close to $4 million and might be dealt after losing his starting job in the playoffs to Ilja Bryzgalov. But, there are concerns that a chronic hip ailment could be affecting Giguere's butterfly style.
There's a couple of reasons why the Wings won't pursue Gerber, an unrestricted free agent. While he played well during the regular season, his playoff performance -- he lost his job to Cam Ward -- raises too many red flags.
What's he done that Legace hasn't? Also, Gerber is likely to seek a long-term deal and possibly get it from Tampa Bay or Toronto. After seeing so many goalies fizzle after signing lengthy contracts (Nikolai Khabibulin, Evgeni Nabokov, Marty Turco), the Wings aren't going to commit more than two years to anyone, with top prospect Jimmy Howard waiting in the wings.
Dwayne Roloson is almost sure to re-sign with Edmonton. That leaves Buffalo's Martin Biron, a restricted free agent, as perhaps the most logical choice for the Wings.
Trade possibilities: The two most likely trade candidates are defenseman Mathieu Schneider ($3.3 million next season) and center Robert Lang ($3.8 million).
Schneider is coming off his most productive season, but the club might feel that young Niklas Kronwall can adequately replace that offense. The problem with trading Lang is that big, strong centers are difficult to replace, and his absence would be felt on a team that lacks size. Jason Williams, because of his age (26 on Aug. 11) and skills, would attract much interest if he were offered in a trade, but it wouldn't help alleviate the cap crunch.
