What Contract Does Detroit Red Wings Nyquist Deserve?
By Jack Mullen
Right-winger for the Detroit Red Wings Gustav Nyquist is a restricted free agent following the 2015 season. This concludes his first standard NHL contract signed in 2013 for two years for $1,900,000 ($850,000 in 2014, $1,050,000 in 2015) with a cap hit of $950,000 per year.
More from Detroit Red Wings
- 3 Michigan Sportsbook Promos You Can’t Afford to Miss (Unlock Over $2,400!)
- BetMGM Michigan Bonus: $1,000 No-Sweat Bet to Back ANY Detroit Team
- SI Sportsbook Offers Michigan Bettors an Exclusive Promo Bonus (10x Your Money!)
- Detroit Red Wings: Can Lucas Raymond produce as he did in rookie year?
- Detroit Red Wings: Can Michael Rasmussen find his niche role?
At age 25, Nyquist is ready for his first big boy NHL contract. At the end of last season, Nyquist was seemingly a prospective franchise player after notching 28 goals and 48 points in a mere 57 games to put the team on his back and salvage Detroit’s season while the top-6 offense was decimated with injuries.
The Goose suffered a bit of a sophomore slump this year as he scored one less goal in 25 more games. The young Swedish native had a hot first half, but was mostly invisible in the latter portion of the schedule. He had one goal in the team’s seven game series with the Tampa Bay Lightning, which came in a losing effort.
Nyquist’s performance this year, which may have been a bit disappointing statistically, might actually turn out to be a bit of a blessing for Detroit’s management and payroll. The Wings may be able to shave off a bit of Nyquist’s desired salary due to his decline in production in 2015. Let’s not kid ourselves; Nyquist is a much better hockey player than the one we saw this season. However, Holland might be able to buck the system and keep some cap space open. Also, opening a heavy contract after a mediocre season doesn’t exactly set the bar high.
Live Feed
Octopus Thrower
So, what can we expect this contract to look like? The deal will be greater than 3 years, as he is a bit old for a bridge contract (the same sort of contract that Tomas Tatar signed last off-season), so now is the time for a lengthy deal. It would be reasonable to expect 5-7 years, closing when he turns 30-32. Inflation accounting for probable NHL salary cap ceiling increase in the future could raise his salary a bit.
I could be very off the mark, but if I were to make a guess, I’d shoot for 5 years at $4 million per year. It’s a bit hard to gauge what he could earn. For a player who has proven 30-goal scoring potential, I’d say it’s pretty fair. Nyquist could easily become one of the leaders of this team that replaces a Pavel Datsyuk or Henrik Zetterberg.
What kind of contract do you think Nyquist deserves? Should the team go long-term with him? Or should they go short-term and see if he can keep his numbers up? Let us know below and don’t forget to stay connected to Detroit Jock City for all your Detroit Red Wings news as the off-season continues on.
Next: Mike Babcock will make coaching future choice next week