The Malik Report
Red Wings announce signing of Jonathan Ericsson to 6-year contract extension
by George Malik on 11/27/13 at 11:35 AM ET
Comments (25)
Updated 13x at 3:04 PM: Red Wings fans will breathe a sigh of relief to hear this, and I don't think that would've been the case three or four years ago, but that was then...
That'll lock up "Big E" until he's 35 36, and TSN's Bob McKenzie reported that the average accrued value would be around $4 million per season.
Update: A $4.25 million cap hit is fine by me. Defensemen who can skate in a straight line earn $4.5 million these days, and players who can make plays in addition to skating in a straight line get upwards of $5 million these days.
Update #2: Good to see:
Update #3: The extension, she is officially official, per DetroitRedWings.com's Kyle Kujawa:
The Detroit Red Wings today signed defenseman Jonathan Ericsson to a six-year contract extension. In accordance with club policy, additional details will not be disclosed.
Originally drafted by Detroit with the last pick (291st overall) of the 2002 NHL Entry Draft, Ericsson has played 292 games with the Red Wings since making his NHL debut in 2007-08. Over seven seasons with the organization, he has logged 62 points (14-48-62), a +14 rating and 242 penalty minutes. He has also posted 16 points (5-11-16), a +9 rating and 43 penalty minutes in 64 career postseason contests. This season, the 6-foot-4, 221-pound defenseman has tallied five points (1-4-5) and 16 penalty minutes in 15 games, while ranking second on the team with an average of 22:15 time on ice.
A native of Karlskrona, Sweden, Ericsson also recorded 63 points (15-48-63) and 185 penalty minutes in 136 games with the AHL’s Grand Rapids Griffins from 2006-08. Prior to moving to North America, he skated in 81 contests with Sodertalje in the Swedish Elite League from 2003-06.
Update #4: The cap will go up:
The issue is that the Wings need to find room for Adam Almquist, and they want a top-four defenseman via trade this year or via free agency during the summer...
As did the Windsor Star's Bob Duff:
Selected last overall with the 291st pick of the 2002 NHL entry draft, it was a long road to the show for Ericsson, 29, but he’s blossomed the last few seasons, given added responsibility as veteran defencemen Brian Rafalski, Nicklas Lidstrom and Brad Stuart all departed from Detroit.
Ericsson knows that the last pick in the NFL draft is celebrated as Mr. Irrelevant.
“I think they called me that lots of times,” he laughed. “I’m actually glad. I’d rather be the last pick than the fifth-to-last pick. I’m making some kind of history.”
Ericsson believes it was his inner will that made him an NHL regular.
“I think I’ve always been a late bloomer when it comes to everything,” Ericsson said. “I think working out and being determined in what you want to do is a key factor. I haven’t always been the most talented guy. My older brother (Jimmie) is more talented than me, but he doesn’t like working out or being that determined to reach that far. He’s a great hockey player, but he doesn’t have that mentality off the ice that maybe I have and that’s kept me going.”
Update #9: The Free Press's St. James posted a video of Ericsson and Ken Holland speaking with the media:
Update #10: This Tweet from the Free Press's Helene St. James is ridiculous:
Update #13: The AP posted a story about Ericsson's signing:
The Detroit Red Wings signed defenseman Jonathan Ericsson to a $25.5 million, six-year contract Wednesday to keep him off the market in July.
"He would've been tough to lose in free agency," Red Wings general manager Ken Holland said. "This was a big priority because in a two-year period, we lost Nick Lidstrom, Brian Rafalski and Brad Stuart. We couldn't afford to lose Big E, too."
Detroit drafted Ericsson with the last pick in the 2002 NHL draft, 291st overall, and he has played in 292 games since making his debut in the league during the 2007-08 season. He averaged 20-plus minutes a game last season for the first time in his career, which previously included sitting and watching defensemen such as Lidstrom, Rafalski and Stuart play a lot more.
"He had a tremendous opportunity last year as one of our top defensemen for the first time and he took full advantage of it," Holland said. "When we played Chicago and Anaheim in the playoffs, he played against their best offensive players. Big E is a big guy who is really mobile and has developed into a player we count on in a lot of situations."
The 29-year-old Ericsson has 14 goals, 62 points and a plus-14 rating entering Wednesday night's game against the Boston Bruins over at least parts of seven NHL seasons. The Swede has five goals and 16 points in 64 postseason games. He had 13 points - two shy of his career high - in 45 games last season during the lockout-shortened slate. Ericsson is in the third and final season of a three-year contract he signed in the summer of 2011.
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Comments
Good signing, now just waiting for the Cleary extension.
Posted by LivinLaVidaLockout on 11/27/13 at 11:54 AM ET
$4.25 million is very fair and very reasonable.
Posted by George Malik from South Lyon, MI on 11/27/13 at 11:56 AM ET
Great signing. He had a great playoff when he came up in ‘09, and I think that most Wings fans were a bit spoiled by that, and forgot to adjust their expectations the following year based on the realities of small sample size, and the fact that despite being a bit older, Big E was still relatively new to playing defense.
There’s no doubt he experienced a “sophmore slump” of sorts, but it was reasonable to expect that. It happens with almost all players, especially defenders. I felt like the light bulb went off down the home stretch of ‘12 when he returned from injury—it was like that injury allowed him to reset or something, and he immediately stepped into the lineup and played really really good hockey the rest of ‘12, and has only gotten slowly but surely steadier since then. Makes you wonder if he had been dealing with some other lingering injuries and the time off got all the bumps and bruises worked out.
Posted by Nathan from the scoresheet! on 11/27/13 at 11:58 AM ET
Solid signing.
If anything gets extended to Cleary, it outta be a one way ticket to GR.
Posted by MOWingsfan19 from I really like our team on 11/27/13 at 11:59 AM ET
I’m with the consensus that 3 years ago I would have said no effin’ way. But he really has turned into a rock. He’ll never put up 30 pts. in a season, but his defensive prowess and stay-at-home mentality is much needed on our porous blue-line.
Posted by TKShreve from East Uptown on 11/27/13 at 12:00 PM ET
I still say his and DK’s first passes show signs of Lidstrom and Rafalski’s…not to mention E52 has grown into his own…
Posted by mrfluffy from the phone, calling Detroit, telling them it's on 11/27/13 at 12:07 PM ET
Congrats Big E! Wow, I called this EXACT amount 2 weeks ago. Kronner makes 4.75 and I predicted 4.25 lol Anyway, this is a solid move. Keep ‘er going Ericsson!
Posted by ZandPasha11 on 11/27/13 at 12:13 PM ET
Good signing with a fair cap hit. I too was one of the doubters when his last contract was signed but he has really picked up his game when his fellow d-men Raffy, TPH, and Stuart left the team. Now let’s get a #1-or 2 man defender to stiffen up the d. Ya hear me Kenny? Chop-chop.
Wishing you all a happy and safe Thanksgiving to you and yours, readers of this magnificent blog that we must all be thankful for. All the best Emperor and George.
Posted by cigar_nurse from On LTIR for the Greenville Pylons on 11/27/13 at 12:13 PM ET
It’s hard to argue with the player E-52 has become. Great signing.
Posted by bezukov from the kids are alright. on 11/27/13 at 12:14 PM ET
I swear Big E has some offense in their that is waiting to come out. I wish Babcock would give him and his big blast of a slapshot an opportunity on the PP.
Posted by topshelf14 from Detroit, MI on 11/27/13 at 12:28 PM ET
Even two years ago, this would be a monstrosity of a contract. Now it’s a deal.
Posted by redxblack from Akron Ohio on 11/27/13 at 12:44 PM ET
Great signing. I hated his last contract, it seemed like a ridiculous overpayment for nothing but potential, but I’m happy to see that the investment paid off.
The issue is that the Wings need to find room for Adam Almquist, and they want a top-four defenseman via trade this year or via free agency during the summer…
Saying good-bye to Kyle Quincey and Brendan Smith would make perfect room.
Posted by Garth on 11/27/13 at 12:50 PM ET
I wish Babcock would give him and his big blast of a slapshot an opportunity on the PP.
He’s become too important on the penalty kill, but I would like to see that. I believe his slap shot was clocked at over 100 back when he was with the Griffins. Honestly, I don’t think Kronner’s shot is hard enough for the PP. There doesn’t tend to be any rebounds given out from it. Plus with Johnny’s reach, you would think he could hold the pucks in better.
Posted by Tracy from T-Town Hockey on 11/27/13 at 12:53 PM ET
The market changes, folks.
Now we’re going to find out whether the Wings really want to be as patient with Smith, or whether he’ll be tossed off in an attempt to find a top-four defenseman via trade. Quincey is all but assuredly not back with Almquist running out of waiver options, and it’s time for Jakub Kindl to take the next step and prove that he’s a top-four defenseman. And Ouellet and Sproul may throw a wrench into the proceedings, too.
Next up: re-signing DeKeyser?
Nice problems to have.
Posted by George Malik from South Lyon, MI on 11/27/13 at 12:55 PM ET
I’m glad I was wrong. $3MM+ seemed way too much and now $4MM+ seems too little. Great signing and Ericsson has more than earned it.
I find it ironic that people who admit they hated the Ericsson signing a couple years ago now steadily bash Brendan Smith for making dumb mistakes in what’s basically his second season. His attitude could use some adjusting and DeKeyser makes him look bad, but he’s still pretty raw.
Posted by awould on 11/27/13 at 01:02 PM ET
One of the best moves in years. E-52 has always been a keeper in my book.
Lets Go Red Wings!!!!!
Posted by Kate from PA now in SC-made in Detroit on 11/27/13 at 01:18 PM ET
That’ll lock up “Big E” until he’s 35
When I first read that, I thought it had to be a mistake. It’s kind of shocking that Ericsson is 29 now. Even more shocking that he was drafted 12 years ago.
E52 is the only one still with Detroit from that 2002 draft class that saw the Wings take Jiri Hudler, Tomas Fleischmann, Valteri Filppula, Johan Berggren, Logan Koopmans, Jimmy Cuddihy, Derek Meech, Pierre-Olivier Beaulie, and Christian Soderstrom before him. And Nik Kronwall’s brother Staffan was taken six spots earlier by Toronto.
Funny how things work out sometimes.
Posted by OlderThanChelios from Grand Rapids, MI on 11/27/13 at 01:28 PM ET
That’s a good deal now, and will continue to be in upcoming years while the cap goes up.
I will fully admit I was a hater a few years ago, but he truly has become a solid player and I’m happy to have him on the team.
Posted by TreKronor on 11/27/13 at 10:50 AM ET
This ^^^^
I was not a big fan of Ericsson but he’s done great. Sometimes I love when I’m wrong. Now if Holland can prove me wrong all will be good with the universe.
Posted by Vladimir16 from Grand River Valley on 11/27/13 at 01:54 PM ET
Not bad at all for a Mr. Irrelevant. I like this deal knowing that the cap will go up next year.
Posted by SYF from impossible and oddly communally possessive sluts on 11/27/13 at 02:40 PM ET
Helene St. James delivers a ridiculously amazing stat:
#RedWings now have defensemen Jonathan Ericsson & Niklas Kronwall signed at least thru 2018-19, at combined salary cap hit of $9 million.
Posted by George Malik from South Lyon, MI on 11/27/13 at 02:50 PM ET
Sorry to be picky, but the extension picks up next summer, so Riggy will be under contract until he’s 36, not 35.
Posted by J.J. from Kansas on 11/27/13 at 03:06 PM ET
General manager Ken Holland said, “we’re happy to get Big E signed. He’s really developed into a legitimate top-two, top-three defenseman.”
He should’ve added that Ian White and Carlo Colaicovo are d-men that garner 3m on the open market.
Don’t get me wrong I like Big E, but his ceiling shouldn’t be manufactured into something it isn’t to support the extension.
Then again, if Holland is telling us that this is the best he’s going to be able to do with the top 2 lines of D-men we can all stop hoping for a Lids-Rafalski/Kronner-Stuart type tandem anytime this decade.
Posted by Leo_Racicot on 11/27/13 at 03:24 PM ET
I don’t know how you can translate being happy to re-sign Ericsson with being satisfied with the defense. I have no doubt whatsoever that the team will *try* to add another top-four defenseman via trade or free agency, with a harder push being made to acquire one at the trade deadline.
Posted by George Malik from South Lyon, MI on 11/27/13 at 03:46 PM ET
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That’s a good deal now, and will continue to be in upcoming years while the cap goes up.
I will fully admit I was a hater a few years ago, but he truly has become a solid player and I’m happy to have him on the team.
Posted by TreKronor on 11/27/13 at 11:50 AM ET