Red Wings suddenly face $80M contract extension that will hurt Steve Yzerman's pockets

We're starting to see some of the biggest contracts ever signed by NHL players. After Kirill Kaprizov signed the largest deal in league history, other players are now signing for much higher salaries than players of their type did in the past.

Players like Jackson LaCombe and Logan Cooley signed massive contracts. Not that they're not deserving of the money they were offered, but giving away an $80 million contract to a player who has played only two seasons in the NHL doesn't happen often.

But it's only natural for players to earn more if the league and the teams' revenues are up.

In Detroit, a lot of key players will be looking for extensions in the next few years.

Emmitt Finnie, Michael Brandsegg-Nygard, Axel Sandin Pellikka, Nate Danielson, Carter Mazur, and Trey Augustine, all these players are signed to entry-level contracts and will be looking for extensions in the coming years.

If they develop to their full potential, it won't be cheap to keep them all in Detroit.

However, with the rise in the salary cap, the money that'll be available due to players leaving in free agency in the coming years, and Steve Yzerman's clever financial maneuvering, Detroit isn't in a bad spot.

Indeed, the salary cap will rise to $104 million for 2026-27 and $113.5 million for 2027-28. Ben Chiarot, Justin Holl, Erik Gustafsson, Travis Hamonic, and Cam Talbot will all become free agents, and as of now, only two teams in the NHL have more cap space than the Wings: the Columbus Blue Jackets and the Chicago Blackhawks.

The three organizations have a young core coming up and planned accordingly.

Yes, the Wings' young core will be expensive, but Yzerman has $12.7 million available now, and it'll only go up in the coming years.