from Ryan Kennedy of The Hockey News,
Though it may seem like a future that will never come, the Detroit Red Wings are in a good position thanks to GM Steve Yzerman. The franchise legend just re-signed top-line winger Anthony Mantha to a four-year pact with an annual cap hit of $5.7 million, getting excellent value for the 26-year-old, but also continuing a process of rebuilding that is starting to round into shape.
The most interesting aspect of Detroit's cap situation right now? The team doesn't have a single player earning more than Dylan Larkin's $6.1 million stipend and by the summer of 2022, every current bad contract will have been wiped off the books. As you may surmise, this is going to put the Red Wings in an enviable situation if the format holds.
Because the Red Wings are not going to be good in 2020-21. They will probably be better than the most recent edition, simply because few teams have ever been as bad as the 2019-20 outfit - certainly in modern times, at least. But Detroit has hope because the pipeline is beginning to bulge and a future decorated with the likes of Moritz Seider, Lucas Raymond, Filip Zadina and Joe Veleno is indeed a bright one. Should Detroit bank a lottery pick for the 2021 draft - a pretty likely scenario on paper, at least - the Red Wings will end up with another high-end prospect, whether it's center Aatu Raty or an elite defenseman such as Owen Power, Brandt Clarke or local Michigan kid Luke Hughes.
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