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Three players the Detroit Red Wings should move to make room for Larkin

By Ash Thompson

TORONTO, ON - MARCH 24: Henrik Zetterberg #40 of the Detroit Red Wings skates against the Toronto Maple Leafs during an NHL game at the Air Canada Centre on March 24, 2018 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The Maple Leafs defeated the Red Wings 4-3. (Photo by Claus Andersen/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Henrik Zetterberg
TORONTO, ON - MARCH 24: Henrik Zetterberg #40 of the Detroit Red Wings skates against the Toronto Maple Leafs during an NHL game at the Air Canada Centre on March 24, 2018 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The Maple Leafs defeated the Red Wings 4-3. (Photo by Claus Andersen/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Henrik Zetterberg /
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TORONTO, ON – MARCH 24: Henrik Zetterberg #40 of the Detroit Red Wings skates against the Toronto Maple Leafs during an NHL game at the Air Canada Centre on March 24, 2018 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The Maple Leafs defeated the Red Wings 4-3. (Photo by Claus Andersen/Getty Images)
TORONTO, ON – MARCH 24: Henrik Zetterberg #40 of the Detroit Red Wings skates against the Toronto Maple Leafs during an NHL game at the Air Canada Centre on March 24, 2018 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The Maple Leafs defeated the Red Wings 4-3. (Photo by Claus Andersen/Getty Images) /

Henrik Zetterberg

This really is best for all involved. Henrik Zetterberg has given Wings fans all he can give. This team is not going to get to the Stanley Cup Playoffs before he retires. Forcing him to stay in the Motor City to finish out his career is not doing him any favors.

He is set to earn only $5.35 million over the next three seasons. The Red Wings front-loaded his deal and now the cap hit for each season greatly exceeds the actual salary for the remainder of the deal. A team like the

Additionally, the Wings captain has said that he’s not finishing this deal as it is written now. The Carolina Hurricanes or Arizona Coyotes could give Zetterberg enough money to keep playing, and absorb the excess salary cap hit comfortably.

The cap charges will help those hit the salary cap floor in the coming years. The notoriously frugal franchises are nowhere near contention and do not like to spend their money if they can avoid it.

If Zetterberg retires while still a member of the Red Wings organization, the team is stuck with a $5.5 million cap hit for each remaining season of Zetterberg’s deal. Moving Zetterberg gets him more money, and it gets the team out of a potentially massive salary cap bind.

The only people who lose in this scenario are fans that can’t let go. Zetterberg is the last remnant of a bygone age. The Red Wings need to pull the plug on bygone days. It’s costing too much t keep the ventilator running. Rationally Zetterberg has to go. Zetterberg himself is unlikely to net a particularly great return. But as a sweetener for another deal, he might have some appeal.

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