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Brayden Point’s new deal helps the Detroit Red Wings

By Bob Heyrman

TORONTO, ON - DECEMBER 23: Tyler Bertuzzi #59 of the Detroit Red Wings skates against John Tavares #91 of the Toronto Maple Leafs during an NHL game at Scotiabank Arena on December 23, 2018 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The Maple Leafs defeated the Red Wings 5-4 in overtime. (Photo by Claus Andersen/Getty Images)
TORONTO, ON - DECEMBER 23: Tyler Bertuzzi #59 of the Detroit Red Wings skates against John Tavares #91 of the Toronto Maple Leafs during an NHL game at Scotiabank Arena on December 23, 2018 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The Maple Leafs defeated the Red Wings 5-4 in overtime. (Photo by Claus Andersen/Getty Images) /
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Looking ahead to next summer a bit early here but Brayden Point’s new deal with the Tampa Bay Lightning should benefit the Detroit Red Wings.

Let me explain.  The Detroit Red Wings have three important young pieces that will be expecting a contract extension.  Not just an extension, but Tyler Bertuzzi, Anthony Mantha and Andreas Athanasiou will all be looking for a raise.

The good news for Steve Yzerman and the Detroit Red Wings is that all three are still going to be restricted free agents meaning the Wings will yet have the final say.  I should also note that Evgeny Svechnikov and Taro Hirose are also set to be RFA’s next summer as well.

Unlike the first three mentioned, Hirose and Svechnikov should still remain on the cheaper end of the spectrum. The Wings will be expected to open up their pocketbook if Bertuzzi, Mantha, and Athanasiou continue to progress positively. Athanasiou was a thirty goal scorer last season.  As we know, thirty goal-scorers don’t just fall in our laps.

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Andreas along with Dylan Larkin, was able to notch thirty-plus goals each last season; it was the first time the Wings had a thirty goal scorer since 2009 when they had four.  In ’09 the Wings received thirty plus goals from Marian Hossa, Henrik Zetterberg, Pavel Datsyuk, and Johan Franzen.  The well ran dry until 2019, but it’s a sign things are looking bright in Detroit.

Brayden Point signed a bargain team-friendly extension with the Lightning. After recording 41 goals and 92 points, skating as a plus 27, owning a Corsi For Percentage of 52% he signed a three-year $20.250 million for an average of $6.75 per season.

I believe Anthony Mantha has the ability to be a regular thirty goal scorer, but injuries have prevented him from making a serious run at it.  Last season Mantha totaled 25 goals and 48 points in just 67 games.  If he can remain healthy this season, he should have every opportunity to reach the milestone, and with some extra motivation being in a contract year, I wouldn’t be shocked if he puts together the best season of his young career.

The same goes for Athanasiou. In 76 games last season he recorded 30 goals, 24 assists totaling 54 points and was a minus -9.  For how talented Athanasiou is his Corsi For Percentage was well below average at 45.9%. A player of this talent and speed should possess the puck more than 46% of the time.  It’s an area he needs to improve on if he wants a significant raise.

I expect Andreas to try and match Dylan Larkin stride for stride this season after joining the thirty goal club in the same season as the face of the Detroit Red Wings.  Larkin signed a five-year deal last summer worth $30.5 million, which averages out at $6.10 per season.  I don’t’ think the Wings are prepared to match that but if Andreas proves he can score at a similar rate he may have an expectation in the neighborhood of $5-million per season.

Tyler Bertuzzi will likely be the cheaper of the three, yet maybe the most critical forward of this group.  Bertuzzi is a jack of all trades type of forward.  He’s proved he can score, he is a terrific puck retrieval forward who causes havoc down low on the top line with Larkin and Mantha.  He loves to muck it up in front of the net.  He can be a bit of a streaky scorer but believe it or not he has the potential also to score thirty goals if he can spread out that streakiness. In 73 games Bert recorded 21 goals, 26 assists for 47 points.

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With Point having a career year and only signing for a touch more than Dylan Larkin, it should actually help Yzerman and the Red Wings to keep the ‘big three’ RFA’s somewhere around $4 million per season.  For the potential all three possess, that would be a win for Detroit next summer.

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