Red Wings acquire 2x Stanley Cup Champion from the Penguins: An offer is on the table for Steve Yzerman
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The price that the Detroit Red Wings would need to pay to land a two-time Stanley Cup champion has been revealed.
The Detroit Red Wings are among the teams looking to add talent to their top six ahead of the start of next season, but with the high demand and low supply in the league for players in that position, it could be easier said than done for Steve Yzerman.
However, a deal with the Pittsburgh Penguins, who reportedly have three players available, could be on the table - and one of them is sure to interest Yzerman and the Wings.
Indeed, during a recent segment, Frank Seravalli revealed that the Pittsburgh Penguins could part ways with Erik Karlsson, Bryan Rust, and Rickard Rakell, but the price to acquire any of them will be high.
In his own words:
"What's the asking price for Erik Karlsson, Bryan Rust, and Rickard Rakell? The answer is: it's pretty high.
There aren't many top-six forwards available. Rust and Rakell are both coming off very strong seasons - both more than lived up to expectations. The Pittsburgh Penguins see this market inefficiency and are saying: no one else can get their hands on these top-six guys, so why would we just give them away? Even if they're older and don't necessarily fit our age scheme moving forward, they still need to get real, significant value in return.
So, Kyle Dubas has been asking for a ton for both Rust and Rakell. He's also still asking a lot for Karlsson, partly because of retention. The Sharks are already holding a little more than a million dollars on Karlsson's deal, which brings him to $10 million with the Penguins. If they could get that down into the $7 to $7.5 million range for two more seasons, I think there's certainly a team out there willing to take a flyer on Erik Karlsson.
It's not as if the Penguins are saying, 'Hey, we'll retain $3 or $2.5 million on Karlsson and you can just take him off our hands for free.' That's not their thought process. Their view is: this is a guy who's a recent Norris Trophy winner with a 100-point season just a few years ago. It hasn't necessarily worked out in Pittsburgh, but they want assets, they want pieces to help restock their system as they look to turn over the roster and the organization."
There aren't many top-six forwards available. Rust and Rakell are both coming off very strong seasons - both more than lived up to expectations. The Pittsburgh Penguins see this market inefficiency and are saying: no one else can get their hands on these top-six guys, so why would we just give them away? Even if they're older and don't necessarily fit our age scheme moving forward, they still need to get real, significant value in return.
So, Kyle Dubas has been asking for a ton for both Rust and Rakell. He's also still asking a lot for Karlsson, partly because of retention. The Sharks are already holding a little more than a million dollars on Karlsson's deal, which brings him to $10 million with the Penguins. If they could get that down into the $7 to $7.5 million range for two more seasons, I think there's certainly a team out there willing to take a flyer on Erik Karlsson.
It's not as if the Penguins are saying, 'Hey, we'll retain $3 or $2.5 million on Karlsson and you can just take him off our hands for free.' That's not their thought process. Their view is: this is a guy who's a recent Norris Trophy winner with a 100-point season just a few years ago. It hasn't necessarily worked out in Pittsburgh, but they want assets, they want pieces to help restock their system as they look to turn over the roster and the organization."
In my opinion, the Wings would rather get Rust than Rakell or Karlsson, but with the high asking price, it may end up not happening.
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