Shocking announcement from Datsyuk and a confusing decision from Detroit.

A major announcement from Datsyuk leads to a curious decision.

HockeyFeed
HockeyFeed
Published 7 years ago
Shocking announcement from Datsyuk and a confusing decision from Detroit.

One of the most iconic members of the Detroit Red Wings franchise made a shocking announcement yesterday, and while many had heard the rumors for years now, it still came as a major surprise.

For those who missed the news yesterday, Red Wings forward Pavel Datsyuk confirmed what we have been hearing for over a week now, he will be returning to Russia at the end of the season, and will be staying there, effectively making the postseason his retirement tour with the Red Wings.

“I may not be done with hockey, but — it is hard to say — I think I am done playing in NHL,” said Datsyuk as per the Detroit Free Press.

“I have overstayed,” he added.

It's clear Datsyuk's decision is motivated by family, and wanting to be close to home, and you would be hard pressed to find any Red Wings fans willing to criticize him for wanting to leave the NHL to be with family. With that said, fans are being critical, but not of Datsyuk, fans are being critical of how the organization will reportedly respond to this decision.

According to the Detroit Free Press the Red Wings have informed Datsyuk's agent Dan Milstein that if he does leave the NHL they will not attempt to trade his rights to another team, effectively freeing up his $7.5 million dollar cap hit. It appears the Red Wings decision is based on Datsyuk's legacy as a Red Wing, but one has to ask will his legacy really be impacted if his rights, and not the player himself, is dealt to another team for a single season?

From the Detroit Free Press:

He also said that if the Wings wanted to trade his rights to another team as a salary cap dump, he would accept that, understanding that it was strictly business (Milstein said the Wings have told him that would not happen).

Teams who need salary to hit the salary cap floor could view Datsyuk's contract as an appealing option, and while dumping it would probably come at a price for the Red Wings, it could also give them a tremendous amount of flexibility during the offseason. With a number of free agent signings ahead for Detroit, one has to really question this decision from management.

[pub]

Source: