via Helene St. James of the Detroit Free Press,
Bertuzzi downplayed the possibility of being traded should an extension not materialize in the coming months, but Yzerman isn't going to let Bertuzzi, or fellow pending UFA Dylan Larkin, run out their contracts and risk losing either for nothing in free agency. Larkin's side can use the eight-year, $73.2 million contract that the New York Islanders just gave Mathew Barzal as a comparable, but the Wings want Larkin around an $8 million annual salary cap hit, not north of $9 million. Bertuzzi's injury didn't help his negotiations, especially after he missed 14 games last season (nine of them because his decision not to get the COVID vaccine meant he could not play games in Canada) and all but nine games in 2021, when his season was derailed by a back injury that required major surgery. The Wings are looking to get Bertuzzi under contract somewhere in the $6.5-7 million cap hit range.
Michael Traikos of the National Post on a few teams who have a shot at the playoffs.
Detroit Red Wings
Record: 7-3-3, 2nd in the Atlantic Division
Odds of winning the division: From 25-to-1 on Oct. 6 to 22-to-1 on Nov. 1
What we thought: After a huge off-season, where they changed head coaches and went all-in by acquiring David Perron, Dominik Kubalik, Andrew Copp, Ben Chiarot and Ville Husso in free agency, the Red Wings would compete for a wild card spot in the East.
What we got: Well, the Red Wings have certainly been competitive. As of Tuesday, Detroit had a better record than Toronto, Tampa Bay and Florida, who many expected would finish in the top-3 in the division. Its early days, but the new guys, particularly Perron (five goals), Kubalik (six goals) and Husso (5-1-2 with a 1.86 GAA) have been carrying their weight.
Can it last? Maybe. But its not going to be easy. There are only three points separating the Red Wings from the sixth-place Sabres. And if you think the Lightning and Panthers are going to remain on the outside looking in, think again.
more teams...
I think term will be a MUCH bigger issue for signing Bert. I don't see Stevie offering him more than a 4 year deal, where Bert will want more than that, and could probably get it in free agency. And with the Berggren callup (assuming they don't want him going up and down, like they've said), Fabbri coming in Jan (we hope), and Kubalik catching fire, he becomes expendable. Plus he'd fetch a pretty high price to a playoff team (which we won't be come the TDL).
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