Insider shares key details on Moritz Seider contract holdout.
NHL insider Elliotte Friedman sheds some light on why Moritz Seider and the Red Wings remain far apart.
There is a sense of uneasiness amongst the Red Wings fan base as we draw closer and closer to training camps around the National Hockey League with two key pieces of their lineup still unsigned.
Both restricted free agent forward Lucas Raymond and restricted free agent defenseman Moritz Seider are still in need of a new contract, but one may be a bigger cause for concern than the other. Recently, NHL insider Elliotte Friedman revealed that Seider and his agent may be looking for a big payday if the two sides eventually agree to a long term deal.
"I don't think it's [Charlie] McAvoy but I don't think it's really far," revealed Friedman on the 32 Thoughts Podcast.
McAvoy, a defenseman for the Boston Bruins, is currently on an 8 year deal that carries an average annual value and salary cap hit of $9.5 million per season. McAvoy however signed a bridge deal before earning his big payday in Boston, something that Seider has not done, but Friedman believes that the changing landscape of the NHL and its salary cap could push Seider close to McAvoy's deal.
"I think with Seider its not only the comparable of now, its where everyone thinks the cap is going," admitted Friedman.
That could be an issue when it comes to negotiations, with reports that Red Wings general manager Steve Yzerman would prefer to keep that number considerably lower. Friedman cited a report from the Detroit Free Press that suggests the Red Wings don't want to go above the current contract of team captain Dylan Larkin. That deal is of course at a considerably smaller number in terms of AAV, with Larkin's cap hit coming in at $8.7 million per season over an 8 year term.
While some fans may be critical of Seider for holding out, Friedman believes there is a genuine concern among players signing long term deals now that they may quickly come to regret.
"There are some players who feel, if they are going to lock in, they don't want to lock in at a number that they look back at and say 'Oh man, I was dumb to lock in at that number.'" said Friedman.
This is definitely one story to keep a close eye on as we continue to draw closer and closer to training camp.
