Waived: Dan Cleary (cleared, assigned to GR - changes mind, going to GR)

[Frk It]

So, let me get this straight.

1) They signed him to an unnecessary contract (most said he'd just be sent to the AHL to be a veteran to the kids)

2) Missed some / all of training camp

3) Played preseason games (back to back nights no less) - meanwhile taking the spot from a younger guy that could've learned from it.

4) Clears waivers and refuses to report to the AHL and still might get paid.

So, my conclusion is either 1) Holland or Cleary are completely delusional about the situation, or 2) this was the plan all along and Cleary is getting paid either way.

Shenanigans and tomfoolery.

 

[Flowah]

Shenanigans and tomfoolery.

Why even bother with the pretense? Just take the damn front office/coaching job and a fat salary.

 

[HockeyinHD]

Except it's preferential treatment that no one else has ever received, and I think most people get that.

Bertuzzi and Samuelsson wanted to stay here and were shown the door.

Meanwhile, Cleary is granted the ability to write his own checks and contracts as he pleases.

We can comprehend the difference somewhere in there though, yes?

If not:

Bertuzzi was here in 09-10. Played 300 regular season games.
Sammy was first here in 05-06. Played 308 regular season games.

Cleary was here 05-06 and played a decade in Detroit. Over 600 games. His professional identity is as a Red Wing.

I mean, come on.

Edit: PS, I seem to recall all kinds of people yowling about the last Draper and Maltby deals, too. And the last Osgood deal. And the last Homer deal. The guys who played 10+ in Detroit all got something in their stocking on the way out the door. Was Lidstrom shopping at Dollar General his last year in town? No. He was making the full 6.2 and was totally not worth it.

Just to head off the angst, Kronwall's going to get a nice last year or two boost on his way out the door. So is Ericsson. So too will anyone who plays 10+ here in Detroit while Holland is here.

 

[Mount Suribachi]

Who is Cleary's agent? And who else on the Wings has the same agent?

That's the only way I can fathom all this.

 

[Frk It]

We can comprehend the difference somewhere in there though, yes?

If not:

Bertuzzi was here in 09-10. Played 300 regular season games.
Sammy was first here in 05-06. Played 308 regular season games.

Cleary was here 05-06 and played a decade in Detroit. Over 600 games. His professional identity is as a Red Wing.

I mean, come on.

Ok, so preferential treatment to any Wing in general. Maltby and Draper were here for 1000 games and 4 cups each and weren't given 3 year unbreakable promise contracts, or 2.5 million dollars to play 17 games with a bonus at 10 games played. Or a 1 million dollar salary to do absolutely nothing.

Again, it's totally unprecedented and anyone else would be foolish to think they could get the same.

 

[HockeyinHD]

Ok, so preferential treatment to any Wing in general. Maltby and Draper were here for 1000 games and 4 cups each and weren't given 3 year unbreakable promise contracts, or 2.5 million dollars to play 17 games with a bonus at 10 games played. Or a 1 million dollar salary to do absolutely nothing.

Well, Homer got a 3 year 6.75 mil deal at age 34 and then got a 2 year 3.75 deal at age 37.

Draper got a 3 year deal as a 36 year old that paid out 5.75.

Maltby, by far the least of these names, got one year deals his last 3 years through age 38 that paid him 2.65.

If you want to pretend there's some amazing gap between those signings and what's gone on with Cleary... well, knock yourself out I suppose. I certainly don't see one.

Edit: Just to be clear, you do comprehend the difference between 'any Wing in general' and 'guys whose professional identity was made in Detroit and who were there 10+ seasons', yes? Lots of former Wings who fit the former category but not the latter were let go with far less fanfare and dollar signs.

And, newsflash, it's going to work out that way with whomever the next crop of Wings 'lifers' are, too.

 

[Satrebil]

Who is Cleary's agent? And who else on the Wings has the same agent?

That's the only way I can fathom all this.

J.P. Barry

 

[ArGarBarGar]

So is there any confirmation Holland is paying him, or is it just an assumption at this point?

 

[Hckytwn]

So is there any confirmation Holland is paying him, or is it just an assumption at this point?

"That's between the club and Cleary," Holland said.

http://kuklaskorner.com/tmr/comments/clearys-not-going-to-grand-rapids

That sounds like he'll get 'taken care of' in my mind...

 

[ElysiumAB]

"That's between the club and Cleary," Holland said.

http://kuklaskorner.com/tmr/comments/clearys-not-going-to-grand-rapids

That sounds like he'll get taken care of--but that's just my opinion.

The way I see it, there are two options:

1) Pay him - none of this makes any sense

2) Don't pay him - NONE OF THIS MAKES ANY SENSE

Seems like this had to be the plan all along (most likely not making the team but 100% getting paid either way).

Could be wrong.

 

[Actual Thought*]

So is there any confirmation Holland is paying him, or is it just an assumption at this point?

That is between the player and the team as it should be. It is nobody's business. I hope they pay him. Cleary has always been and continues to be a class guy worthy of the winged wheel.

 

[Frk It]

Well, Homer got a 3 year 6.75 mil deal at age 34 and then got a 2 year 3.75 deal at age 37.

Draper got a 3 year deal as a 36 year old that paid out 5.75.

Maltby, by far the least of these names, got one year deals his last 3 years through age 38 that paid him 2.65.

If you want to pretend there's some amazing gap between those signings and what's gone on with Cleary... well, knock yourself out I suppose. I certainly don't see one.

Edit: Just to be clear, you do comprehend the difference between 'any Wing in general' and 'guys whose professional identity was made in Detroit and who were there 10+ seasons', yes? Lots of former Wings who fit the former category but not the latter were let go with far less fanfare and dollar signs.

And, newsflash, it's going to work out that way with whomever the next crop of Wings 'lifers' are, too.

ALL of those guys were more useful to the end of their careers and didn't decline in the fashion Cleary did. Homer scored 18 and 11 goals in his last 2 seasons, for example.

Cleary got a 2.5 million dollar contract knowing he'd be an extra forward from the start of the season, and went on to play 17 games while logging 2 points. And make no mistake, that wasn't a surprise. It was a donation, more than even a contract. Now it looks like he may be getting another one.

 

[ArGarBarGar]

"That's between the club and Cleary," Holland said.

http://kuklaskorner.com/tmr/comments/clearys-not-going-to-grand-rapids

That sounds like he'll get 'taken care of' in my mind...

Why can't it be that Holland isn't going to tell the media either way? Seems like either situation is acceptable, that the decision will be made in-house and as far as the media is concerned it doesn't matter since it has no cap or NHL roster implications.

 

[Ishad]

Don't care if they pay him or not. The ballad of Dan Cleary has finally concluded.

 

[Henkka]

Fine. Time to promote him to our front office.

 

[HockeyinHD]

ALL of those guys were more useful to the end of their careers and didn't decline in the fashion Cleary did. Homer scored 18 and 11 goals in his last 2 seasons, for example.

Again, I would refer you to the threads at the time wherein people blasted Holland for those deals and cried loudly about (get this) how keeping those guys around blocked young players from getting on the roster soon enough for them.

Draper and Maltby and Homer were done like dinner their last one or two years. They got the deals they got at the rates they got because they were the beneficiaries of the informal Detroit policy of giving second tier lifers a little extra on their way out the door.

Cleary got a 2.5 million dollar contract knowing he'd be an extra forward from the start of the season, and went on to play 17 games while logging 2 points. And make no mistake, that wasn't a surprise. It was a donation, more than even a contract. Now it looks like he may be getting another one.

Yeah. I know. What I don't know is why this kind of thing happening is news to you.

McCarty! There's another one. Didn't he get a 800k one-way contract from Detroit in 07 without playing a single game? Didn't he get one in 2006 too? I forget.

 

[Frk It]

Again, I would refer you to the threads at the time wherein people blasted Holland for those deals and cried loudly about (get this) how keeping those guys around blocked young players from getting on the roster soon enough for them.

Draper and Maltby and Homer were done like dinner their last one or two years. They got the deals they got at the rates they got because they were the beneficiaries of the informal Detroit policy of giving second tier lifers a little extra on their way out the door.



Yeah. I know. What I don't know is why this kind of thing happening is news to you.

McCarty! There's another one. Didn't he get a 800k one-way contract from Detroit in 07 without playing a single game? Didn't he get one in 2006 too? I forget.

I wasn't on here yet, so maybe I just was unaware of this stuff. I'll take your word for it.

 

[HockeyinHD]

Don't care if they pay him or not. The ballad of Dan Cleary has finally concluded.

Not for nothing, but if a couple guys get hurt...

 

[detredWINgs]

Again, I would refer you to the threads at the time wherein people blasted Holland for those deals and cried loudly about (get this) how keeping those guys around blocked young players from getting on the roster soon enough for them.

Draper and Maltby and Homer were done like dinner their last one or two years. They got the deals they got at the rates they got because they were the beneficiaries of the informal Detroit policy of giving second tier lifers a little extra on their way out the door.



Yeah. I know. What I don't know is why this kind of thing happening is news to you.

McCarty! There's another one. Didn't he get a 800k one-way contract from Detroit in 07 without playing a single game? Didn't he get one in 2006 too? I forget.

Signing McCarty was a genius move from a business perspective. That narrative was money in the bank.

The Cleary situation has been neither a good hockey money or a good business move. Fortunately Holland has a long track record on his side that this stain will be forgotten in the long run. For a lot of other GMs, it'd cost them dearly in reputation.

 

[HockeyinHD]

I wasn't on here yet, so maybe I just was unaware of this stuff. I'll take your word for it.

Man, the cri de coeur going on around Holland lately is like it's being sung from a hymnal published in 2000, republished in 2006, and re-released as a special edition paperback in 2012.

3 or 4 years past the last Cup and everybody starts the laments. The names change, of course (other than Holland's) but it's like the worlds most consistent Mad Lib.

 

[detredWINgs]

Fine. Time to promote him to our front office.

Is it possible that Cleary is actually a legitimate moron? I never thought about it before, but it's possible that the reason this saga has played out the way it has is because the organization recognizes that Cleary is unfit for a front office job. I suppose time will tell.

 

[HockeyinHD]

Signing McCarty was a genius move from a business perspective. That narrative was money in the bank.

Yeah. No. Have you ever spoken to someone who said they went to a game or bought a Wings item they wouldn;t have bought anyway just because they gave McCarty 1.6 to not play? Me neither.

What it did, just like what the Draper, Maltby Homer and Cleary deals did, is let the lower half know that the team will take care of them.

In these hard cap leagues it is always the mid-level guys who get squeezed. The big money players get theirs, the league minimum guys get league minimum, but those midrange UFA salary slots dry up.

The Cleary situation has been neither a good hockey money or a good business move. Fortunately Holland has a long track record on his side that this stain will be forgotten in the long run. For a lot of other GMs, it'd cost them dearly in reputation.

'Dearly'? One depth guy getting 4-5ish mil over 3 years?

Jordin Tootoo got a 3 year 5.7 mil contract. Weiss got 5 and 24.5.

The Cleary contracts in their entirety are a mosquito bite on the ass of an elephant.

Shoot, Holland was paying Robitaille 6 mil and he was on a fourth line for crying out loud.

Get out of here that contracts like Cleary's deserve much notice in comparison.

 

[HockeyinHD]

Is it possible that Cleary is actually a legitimate moron? I never thought about it before, but it's possible that the reason this saga has played out the way it has is because the organization recognizes that Cleary is unfit for a front office job. I suppose time will tell.

Yep. What a moron. "Hey, we're going to pay you 900k and you can either ride buses in GR for 6 months or, you know, not."

Pro athletes, man. It's all they've ever done, and it's all they've ever known. The vast majority don't have college degrees or any kind of relevant experience outside of whatever sport they've played.

Yeah. I can sort of see how letting that go can be a bit of a struggle and maybe something that requires a touch more motivation to move on from than that time we threw our apron down at DQ and declared that that place could **********.

Cheli was 47 years old riding a damn bus.

 

[Roy S]

I'm pretty sure this was the plan all along. Cleary was never going to play with the Wings this year in the regular season or postseason-as a few of us said when he signed this last contract. Maybe the most meaningless contract ever and was never anything to get worked up about. Simply a going away present from Illitch.

 

[Heaton]

I'm pretty sure this was the plan all along. Cleary was never going to play with the Wings this year in the regular season or postseason-as a few of us said when he signed this last contract. Maybe the most meaningless contract ever and was never anything to get worked up about. Simply a going away present from Illitch.

Meh, if this was the first time it happened - no one would care. But it's the third time this ******** has gone on.