What Should The Detroit Red Wings do with Stephen Weiss?
Apr 5, 2015; Detroit, MI, USA; Washington Capitals defenseman Brooks Orpik (44) and Detroit Red Wings center Stephen Weiss (90) fight for position with in the third period at Joe Louis Arena. Washington won 2-1. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports
This off-season the Detroit Red Wings front offices and coaches have to figure out if they want Stephen Weiss to come back in the new season. Weiss who signed a 5 year deal with the Red Wings in 2013, missed five of the seven games against the Tampa Bay Lightning. He produced basically nothing in the two games he played and only managed to play in 52 games in the regular season.
So what should the Red Wings do with Weiss?
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Do you trade him?
Weiss is turned 32 this season and while that isn’t old, it is getting up there. He scored 9 goals with 16 assists and was a -2 over the season. He is basically a 4th line center that you could either get another 4th liner for, or some late round draft pick for. It seems that his trade value isn’t that high, and for what you would get for him, really isn’t worth it when you have a farm of players in the wings as the Red Wings do.
Then if you do trade him, who is going to pick up his contract? You, or the team that you trade him to? He still has $16 million left to be paid for the next three years and again, for his value, not many teams are going to be all fine and dandy with paying him that, so the Red Wings would more than likely end up paying a good chunk of that.
Keep him in the system
Detroit Red Wings
Well, this seems kind of like a no brainer, clearly if he can’t perform, then he shouldn’t be with the club come the start of the new season. You could send him to Grand Rapids and he could try to get his play together there. Maybe spending some time in the AHL, could help, but if it doesn’t and he doesn’t show he is deserved of a place on the NHL club, well you’re back to the question at hand; what do you do with Weiss?
Weiss himself even thinks that if he doesn’t play well enough he shouldn’t be playing on the team.
"“After how things ended this year? No. Not really. I have to earn a spot, there’s no doubt about it. Similar as last season. I knew coming in last season I had to earn a spot. I feel the same way next year.”"
So let’s put keeping him in the system, towards the bottom of the list of things to do. It doesn’t seem like his play will get better with age. If anything he is just useful to have around for a fourth line if needed.
Buy him out
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This option is one that would go to the top of the list. It seems like keeping Weiss isn’t the greatest idea for the team. In fact it may only hurt the team more than anything, which hurting your team is one thing you don’t want to do. Trading him could and will more than likely put you into a hole to pay off whatever you need to of his contract and you may not get anything worth wild from the trade.
Why not just buy him out. If the team really has no future plans for him, then why not just buy him out of his contract and let him go be someone else’s? Yeah it would involve you going into a hole for what you owe him, but someone should have thought about that before they signed him two seasons ago to a five-year deal.
What should the Detroit Red Wings do about Weiss? Keep him? Trade him? Let us know below.