Bertuzzi, Hronek & Vrana - Who Signs First?

Who signs a new contract first?


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  • Poll closed .

ShippinItDaily

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Apr 28, 2004
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Three players that project to be in the top half of the lineup next year who all need a new contract.

Two are nearing UFA status and one is coming off his ELC. One went to arbitration last year and received a one-year extension. One was just acquired after his previous team had concerns over future cost certainty and has a very small sample size with the organization. The other player played big minutes out of necessity more than merit and led the team in "scoring." Each contract dynamic carries its own brand of complexity.

Agents:

Bertuzzi - Todd Reynolds (Other Notables: Hyman, Blackwood, Jarnkrok)
Hronek - Allan Walsh (Other Notables: MAF, Pacioretty, Huberdeau
Vrana - J.P. Barry (Other Notables: Malkin, Barzal, Pastrnak)

So I ask, who is the first of these players to sign a new contract with the Red Wings this summer?



Edit: Agents
 
Last edited:

HisNoodliness

The Karate Kid and ASP Kai
Jun 29, 2014
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Bertuzzi was hurt all year and wasn't easy to sign last year so I imagine that's going to be a tough negotiation to nail down. Vrana is a brand new Wing so it may take him and the Wings to get used to negotiating with each other.

Hronek is young, our only competent defender and someone Yzerman really needs to stick around. So I expect he'll have a relatively smooth time getting his contract.
 
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ShippinItDaily

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Bertuzzi was hurt all year and wasn't easy to sign last year so I imagine that's going to be a tough negotiation to nail down. Vrana is a brand new Wing so it may take him and the Wings to get used to negotiating with each other.

Hronek is young, our only competent defender and someone Yzerman really needs to stick around. So I expect he'll have a relatively smooth time getting his contract.

Perhaps. But what if Yzerman wants to bridge until the team is surrounded by more talent and Hronek wants to secure a longer-term contract in his first big negotiation?
 

HisNoodliness

The Karate Kid and ASP Kai
Jun 29, 2014
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Perhaps. But what if Yzerman wants to bridge until the team is surrounded by more talent and Hronek wants to secure a longer-term contract in his first big negotiation?
Or they could be a couple million apart and neither willing to give an inch. It's impossible for us to predict really, but my best guess is that Hronek gets his deal done first based on what I said above.
 
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Gniwder

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Oct 12, 2009
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Perhaps. But what if Yzerman wants to bridge until the team is surrounded by more talent and Hronek wants to secure a longer-term contract in his first big negotiation?
I think you have a valid point, Hronek could very well wind up being the second pair RHD by the end of next season depending on how quickly Seider acclimates to the NHL. That would put Stevie in a better position to negotiate a long term deal.
 

stillwater

cellar door
Mar 17, 2011
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The one who signs first isn't necessarily the most valuable of the 3, the one who signs last isn't necessarily the least valuable.

Why is the order in which they sign relevant at all?
 

Bench

3 is a good start
Aug 14, 2011
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The one who signs first isn't necessarily the most valuable of the 3, the one who signs last isn't necessarily the least valuable.

Why is the order in which they sign relevant at all?

He's obviously trying to make some kind of prop bet.
 

ShippinItDaily

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The one who signs first isn't necessarily the most valuable of the 3, the one who signs last isn't necessarily the least valuable.

Why is the order in which they sign relevant at all?

I make no implication on attaching value to the order of signing date.

Who signs when is as relevant as you want to make the speculation for the reasons why. Maybe the order represents Yzerman's priority or maybe it represents the ease of coming to terms. I created the poll out of my own interest to try and gauge what the board thinks. I also think it could give us some clue into what direction Yzerman is heading with some of the players who played bigger roles on this team this past season.
 
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Lil Sebastian Cossa

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Jul 6, 2012
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He's obviously trying to make some kind of prop bet.

It's also something remotely interesting to argue about that isn't Hossa-Franzen, whether Kris Draper should be fired into the sun for drafting his son in the 7th round, or anything about a goalie in the top ten.

It doesn't have any actual bearing on anything... but it can be interesting to see if Bertuzzi hangs out without a deal or he jumps at the cash because he's injured now. What they think of Vrana in terms of a long term deal. And/or how they can lock down Hronek or really any of the three. I like it because it's a debate that doesn't have a clear answer, so you can actually have an opinion on it... as opposed to things like "Petr Mrazek should have gotten a 6 year contract from us"... which, no he shouldn't have.
 

Oddbob

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Jan 21, 2016
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I voted Hronek, and I think the Bertuzzi one is tough with his surgery that he is having. I would be more than happy with a 1 (preferred) or 2 max with him, as his play going forward could be heavily affected with his injury.
 

Ghost of Ethan Hunt

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I voted Hronek, and I think the Bertuzzi one is tough with his surgery that he is having. I would be more than happy with a 1 (preferred) or 2 max with him, as his play going forward could be heavily affected with his injury.
1 yr. would give Bert too much leverage, he could just bolt at UFA, aged 27.5

2 yrs. is reasonable for both team & player, gives each time to see how well the surgery worked & his play after. For this reason I don't think SY goes more than 4yrs, likely 3yrs @ ~$4+, which considering Bert's current health status isn't a terrible offer. 3yrs at that rate is still a risk to both team & player.

I'd wait til at least camp/preseason before signing him to any deal.
 

Oddbob

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1 yr. would give Bert too much leverage, he could just bolt at UFA, aged 27.5

2 yrs. is reasonable for both team & player, gives each time to see how well the surgery worked & his play after. For this reason I don't think SY goes more than 4yrs, likely 3yrs @ ~$4+, which considering Bert's current health status isn't a terrible offer. 3yrs at that rate is still a risk to both team & player.

I'd wait til at least camp/preseason before signing him to any deal.

Not worried about his leverage honestly. He isn't good enough that he can hold any team over the barrel as far as huge money and years is concerned. Most team would pay him similar money/years if he plays at current level. If he is really awesome after surgery and has only a 1 year deal, it isn't the kind of thing that would be a huge blow to us if he tested FA and left. He is good at current level, but secondary in the grand scheme of getting better.
 

Ghost of Ethan Hunt

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Not worried about his leverage honestly. He isn't good enough that he can hold any team over the barrel as far as huge money and years is concerned. Most team would pay him similar money/years if he plays at current level. If he is really awesome after surgery and has only a 1 year deal, it isn't the kind of thing that would be a huge blow to us if he tested FA and left. He is good at current level, but secondary in the grand scheme of getting better.
Asset mgmt. Tons of teams would kill for a Bertuzzi. (COL, TOR, NSH, VGK) just to name a few. Literally every team, even ones with a good/great top6, most of them would swap out their 2L lw/rw for Bert, if they were lacking heart/grit. His trade value with team friendly cap & med.term extension could net a very good younger player. Skilled perimeter players are good for the regular season, but you won't win cups w/o the Bert's.
 

Gniwder

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Asset mgmt. Tons of teams would kill for a Bertuzzi. (COL, TOR, NSH, VGK) just to name a few. Literally every team, even ones with a good/great top6, most of them would swap out their 2L lw/rw for Bert, if they were lacking heart/grit. His trade value with team friendly cap & med.term extension could net a very good younger player. Skilled perimeter players are good for the regular season, but you won't win cups w/o the Bert's.
He's not that gritty, and he'll be even less because of the back injury.

In any case, I voted Vrana. I think he gets a bridge deal. Hronek probably does too.
 

Oddbob

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Jan 21, 2016
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He's not that gritty, and he'll be even less because of the back injury.

In any case, I voted Vrana. I think he gets a bridge deal. Hronek probably does too.

I agree with the gritty part. I think lots of his supposed grit is because of the name he has, when he plays nothing like his uncle at all.
 

Coach Reggie Dunlop

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I agree with the gritty part. I think lots of his supposed grit is because of the name he has, when he plays nothing like his uncle at all.

he used to play a much more gritty and agitator role, in his first season and the year he got suspended for punching Calvert on the bench. Since then he’s been pretty neutered, kindve disappoints me tbh he is no longer the bertuzzi I had loved on the team.
 

Oddbob

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he used to play a much more gritty and agitator role, in his first season and the year he got suspended for punching Calvert on the bench. Since then he’s been pretty neutered, kindve disappoints me tbh he is no longer the bertuzzi I had loved on the team.

Yeah, I agree with that, he has played quite calmly the past 2-3 season in my opinion.
 

jkutswings

hot piss hockey
Jul 10, 2014
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Wait as long as possible to decide on Bertuzzi.

7c1d1188758168e0d9fa3e78bc803dbe.jpeg
 

Hoog

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Feb 4, 2021
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I really think these three contracts will tell us a lot about how Stevie sees these players going forward. The time it takes, the amount, and the end contract will all tell us who is staying, who is questionable, and who there just not sure about yet.

With that said, I voted for Vrana to be the first to sign. Why? I think it was a breath of fresh air for him, he looked happy and productive, and I think he wants to be here. On the flip side, I think Steve knew what he was getting and was very happy with the return. Yes, he has said issues at time with motivation but I certainly didn't see that and I think Steve is confident he won't show that side here in Detroit.

I think Hronek will be done shortly after Vrana. Why? You can see he will be a top 4 defenseman on this team for a while and Steve wants that from him. He also still has a lot of scoring upside if paired with a better line mate. Once Steve signs some better quality LHD to pair with him, I think he will sky rocket. Last year, I had him as my "projected player to jump up" and while he did well, I was expecting more. I think we get the full Filip next season, hopefully paired with Oleksiak or Forbort.

Bert is a tough call moving forward. He is a key piece and when healthy, I think he is the true leader of this team with his play. However, I think not signing him longer last year, his injury this year, and the fact that he is already 26 years old all play to a disadvantage. I think they go less years (2-3) than people think and he becomes more of a trade chip than a future core player. It is very unfortunate but I feel this is how the Wings see him.

Projected Contracts:

Vrana- 4 years $22M ($5.5 per)

Hronek- 4 years $20M ($5M per)

Bertuzzi- 2 years $10M ($5M per) *higher pay but less years, easier to trade. Especially if he performs as in past.
 

19 for president

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Apr 28, 2002
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I think Hronek signs first and gets the longest deal. I think there is the most mutual interest there. The only way I cold see this going differently is if we were to draft Clarke and Stevie wants a shorter deal.

I believe both the Bert and Vrana deals might take awhile. The fact that there was so much hardball last year with Bert, leads me to believe that maybe he isn't in Stevie's long term plans. Now you are adding back issues on top of it. My guess is that it ends up being a 1 or 2 year deal, and that there is a 50% chance he is dealt at the deadline.

Vrana is an interesting one. I think Stevie will lean for a 1 year or 3 year deal. A lot of people talked about Mantha's cost certainty in the Wash trade, which leads me to believe that Wash thought he might be hard/ expensive to sign. He also could have just wanted out of Wash and was indicating he'd play hardball, but you never know.
 
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ShippinItDaily

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He's not that gritty, and he'll be even less because of the back injury.

In any case, I voted Vrana. I think he gets a bridge deal. Hronek probably does too.

What does a bridge deal look like for Vrana - 1 year? If its longer than that then he gains UFA status. I think he is polarized case, 1 year to establish his value in this new organization, or some longer-term more secured money and a bit of a gamble by Yzerman.
 

Bench

3 is a good start
Aug 14, 2011
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It's also something remotely interesting to argue about that isn't Hossa-Franzen, whether Kris Draper should be fired into the sun for drafting his son in the 7th round, or anything about a goalie in the top ten.

Nah, I'm sticking with my compulsive gambler theory.
 

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