Hold-Up With the Red Wings’ RFAs Has Fans Asking Questions

The start of training camp is right around the corner, but the Detroit Red Wings still have some business to attend to. Moritz Seider and Lucas Raymond still remain unsigned despite the Red Wings having approximately $17.6 million in cap space. Why exactly have negotiations taken this long? Getting these players signed is a priority for Red Wings GM Steve Yzerman, so why hasn’t it still been done?

Both players are coming off strong 2023-24 campaigns. Raymond finished the season with 31 goals and a career-high of 72 points, meanwhile, Seider recorded nine goals and 42 points. Raymond and Seider are cornerstone pieces for the Red Wings, resulting in their rocky contract negations worrying some fans.

However, it’s also important to realize that this is just a part of the business. It’s been said that Yzerman is a tough negotiator and will only agree on a contract if it makes the absolute most sense for him and the team. Not to mention Detroit has other RFAs like Jonatan Berggren who also needs a new contract.

Red Wings Could Be Close With Seider But Not With Raymond

Given their importance to the team, both these players are expected to make substantial money on their next deals.

According to Bob Duff from Detroit Hockey Now, the team could be close to agreeing on a contract with Seider, but are still far apart with Raymond. Both of these players’ camps are likely playing hardball to ensure they get the best deal available. While Detroit isn’t necessarily in a cap crunch, the cap hits from these two contracts are going to be substantial.

What’s important is that both players want to be Red Wings for the foreseeable future and reaching a deal relatively soon would mean a lot.

Raymond noted on the importance of reaching a deal: “As far as when a deal will get done, I don’t know. What I do know is that I love this team, I love this city and I want to be here. But as far as the other things, it’s kind of out of my control at this point.”

Seider and Raymond in No Rush to Finalize Things With Red Wings

Despite the lack of progress, the camps for Seider and Raymond are doing the right thing by waiting this out. The hold-up is likely caused by their camps ensuring that negations are fulfilling the best interests for both players. Seider and Raymond are not the only major RFAs in the league that still need to be signed, so there isn’t a fear to let this process drag on if their needs aren’t being met.

On the flip side, the Red Wings must find a way to get this done. Going into the season without these two players being signed would be the worst-case scenario. It would also be a major distraction for a Red Wings team with high expectations.

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