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Should Detroit make a play for Shea Weber?

July 12th, 2012 1:02 PM
  • Should-Detroit-make-a-play-for-Shea-Weber
  • Nashville Predators defenseman Shea Weber in game five of the 2012 Western Conference semifinals. Mandatory Credit: Matt Kartozian-US PRESSWIRE

    • The Red Wings didn’t get the first Nashville defenseman that they had their eye on, but they could get the other one — the even better one. With Ryan Suter now in Minnesota, his former defensive partner, Predators captain and three-time Norris Trophy finalist Shea Weber, is exploring his options to go elsewhere as well. Weber is a restricted free agent this year after making $7.5 million from arbitration last season, but declined to file for arbitration this time around. This means that until he signs a long-term deal with Nashville, he is free to sign an offer sheet with another team that the Predators would then have the right to match.

    Enter the Red Wings.

    Detroit did everything they could to lure Suter, but for reasons beyond their control, they came up short. However, they still have a ton of cap space this summer and a gaping hole at the forefront of their defensive corps where Nicklas Lidstrom once was. At 26 years old, Weber is already arguably the best all-around defenseman in the game and has at least 10 years left in him, so signing him to a 12-year offer sheet worth around $100 million becomes a real possibility.

    In any pursuit of a RFA, a team has to overpay. So from Detroit’s point of view, a $8.33 cap hit for the next 12 years is a lot, but it’s the cost of doing business. There is no better person to take Lidstrom’s spot on their top pairing than Weber, and if the cap keeps going up every year after the next CBA, a cap hit of that size might not be too big in the long run. It would also force Nashville’s hand. Though a contract that big would net the Predators’ four first round picks from the Wings — a very nice compensation package — they would be even more horrified to see their franchise player suiting up for their division rival for the next decade-plus.

    The downside for Detroit — aside from the obvious surrendering of four first rounders — is that they might drive Weber right back into the arms of the Predators. Nashville would have the right to match any offer sheet that Weber signs, so if the offer is not high enough to discourage them to do so, the Wings will simply be helping them to achieve their ultimate goal of re-signing him long-term. Then again, if they decide that they can’t let him go to Detroit no matter the cost, they could be forced into paying a lot more for him than they want.

    By extending an offer sheet to Weber, Detroit is undoubtedly playing with fire. In the end, their best course of action may simply be to bide their time and wait until he hits unrestricted free agency next year, then go all-out in their pursuit.

    — Craig Lowell

    Read the original post from tennessean.com

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