Conflicting Predictions on Lucas Raymond Contract Talks

So how are those Lucas Raymond negotiations going in the Motor City? It kind of depends on who you ask. The breakout star had a huge year coming off his entry-level contract for the Detroit Red Wings, with 31 goals, 41 assists and 72 points in 82 games. But the restricted free agent is still unsigned, just a couple of weeks away from training camp.

Now that fellow RFA Seth Jarvis has signed his 8-year, $7.4 million AAV deal with the Carolina Hurricanes, it seems that we have a viable comp to go with. At least that's the word from beat writer Max Bultman of The Athletic.

A potentially relevant deal for Lucas Raymond negotiations, although not sure how the deferred comp factors in as comparable

Raymond: .73 career PPG, .88 last season
Jarvis .63 career PPG, .83 last season

Based on that, would expect Raymond to surpass Jarvis' deal https://t.co/PYHZ2eeBlM
— Max Bultman (@m_bultman) August 31, 2024

As Bultman notes, Raymond's career points per game are higher than Jarvis's, perhaps meaning he can surpass that deal. And he adds his belief that the fact that it's taking so long to get a deal done actually means the two sides are working hard to get a full 8-year pact worked out.

"What I actually take this to mean," he said on a recent edition of the Winged Wheel podcast, "is that both sides are interested, in my view, in a long-term deal. It just needs to be at the right number. The resolution might end up being a bridge deal, but I would take it that the delay is, OK, they're really trying to work something out here, otherwise they would have done a bridge a long time ago."

But Sportsnet's Luke Fox is reading the tea leaves and thinking that a shorter-term bridge may in fact be what's in store for Raymond.

"When (Wings GM Steve) Yzerman signed stud RFA Alex DeBrincat to a four-year contract averaging $7.875 million per season, he suggested a preference for mid-term commitments instead of a longer deal."

As evidence, he submits this quote from Yzerman: “You’re starting to see more players, at least this off-season, and I think it might be a trend, signing shorter-term contracts, not necessarily going the full seven, eight years...

"What is my philosophy? I try to make a deal with the player and try to understand what they’re looking for and what’s important to them, but ultimately, I’m comfortable. I like these mid-term deals.”

Detroit has $17.6 million in cap space available, plenty of room to sign both Raymond and their other key RFA, defenseman Moritz Seider.