In a move that should surprise no one, the Detroit Red Wings re-signed team captain Nicklas Lidstrom on December 26th to a two-year contract extension.
Starting next season the new contract pays Lidstrom $7.45 million per year and will expire at the end of the 2009-10 season. It's a slight pay cut for Lidstrom, who'll earn $7.6 million this season, but one he was willing to take to remain with the Wings, the only NHL team he's ever played for.
Some fans might sneer at Lidstrom's modest pay cut, but considering he's one of the best defencemen in the NHL - and has been for over a dozen years now - it's quite noteworthy, especially since he could've received much more on the open market next summer.
How much more? Consider the following, courtesy of TSN.ca:
Lidstrom is currently second among NHL
defenceman in scoring with 32 points (three goals, 29 points) heading
into Detroit's game Wednesday night versus St. Louis. He's the
highest-scoring defenceman in Red Wings history with 900 points in 15
NHL seasons.
Lidstrom, 37, is a five-time winner of the Norris Trophy as the
NHL's top defenceman. He was was selected in the third round, 53rd
overall, by Detroit in the 1989 NHL entry draft.
In 1,212 NHL regular-season games, the eight-time league all-star
has 205 goals and 695 assists. He has added 39 goals and 97 assists in
192 career playoff games.
Now consider The Hockey News recently ranked Lidstrom as not only the best European player ever, but also the second-best defenseman in NHL history (behind the great Bobby Orr).
It's a safe bet Lidstrom would've become the highest paid in NHL history had he opted to test the UFA market. Even at 37, he's among the elite players in the game right now, and had the Red Wings advanced to the 2007 Stanley Cup Finals would've been on the short list for the Conn Smythe trophy as playoff MVP, an award he won in 2002.
By signing for $7.45 million per season, Lidstrom saved the Red Wings at least $4 million per season over the next two years. What he's done is akin to that of New Jersey Devils netminder Martin Brodeur, taking less than market value to stay put thus allowing management to use the savings to put toward building and maintaining a contender.
For all the talk of "greedy players" who put themselves above their team, it should be remembered there are players like Lidstrom and Brodeur who are still in their prime that put team above self.
In Lidstrom's case, his signing now means the Wings have over $35 million committed to 13 players next season. With the salary cap expected to rise to over $54 million for 2008-09, that'll leave the Wings nearly $20 million of available cap space.
That's more than enough to re-sign key players like Chris Chelios, Daniel Cleary, Chris Osgood and Valtteri Filppula to affordable contracts and still leaving plenty to go shopping in next summer's unrestricted free agent market.
Lidstrom is a good player and this is no means a knock on him But I have always wonderded if his numbere are inflated due to the talent and system he plays in and around in Detroit.
What type of player would he be say if he played with the Oilers or the Capitals hell even the Stars.
His international numbers are not that great with team Sweeden. And that team has more talent then the Red Wings.
I only get to see him play 2 times a year so please tell me?
He might just be a product of the System. Or the Joe Montana of Hockey.
Joe Montana is the most overrated QB in the history of the NFL.
When you have 2 hall of fame Wide Recivers. 3 hall of fame Offensive linemen. A Hall of Fame Tight End and an All pro Running Back and Fullback
And one of the greatest Offensive Minds for a head coach.
Hell even Spector could have made the hall of fame as the QB of the 49ers
Last edited by True_kings_fan on December 27th at 11:37 AM.
I never really see the Red Wings play, on account of my super duper cable company. However the few times I've seen Lidstrom play, he's the most solid guy on the ice shift to shift. He's also getting up there in the years, though guys like Chelios and Hasek seem to be raising retirement age. He's also one of the more fortunate players in terms of injury. It's not often Lidstrom's sidelined for more than a game or two.
That said, I don't know about second-best defenseman ever to play the game. I've never had much use for those lists. I suppose if I really wanted to put together a pair of brutal teams with which to pit against each other for no other purpose beyond my personal amusement, Lidstrom would be on one of the rosters. But so would Jeff Beukeboom, so I'm not really concerned with it.
It's pretty cool that a guy, who's probably almost definitely guaranteed to be a first round ballot for the HHoF when the day arrives, could put his team first before his own ambitions. It's particularly awesome since, like many NHL stars, his grandchildren's grandchildren are set for life financially.
Lidstrom could name his team and his price. He can also play as long has he would like. The guy is never out of position. His skill and sportsmanship represent many of the great things about hockey.
No offense to Brian Costello, but Lidstrom isn't the second best ever. Larry Robinson had more tools than Lidstrom and retired with the best plus minus ever. Robinson could control through skill, intimidation or scoring. Robinson may not even be the second best ever. Bourque, Harvey and Potvin are also top six all time. But I agree that Lidstrom is among the elite of all time.
First off, this isnt the place to be ragging on Lidstrom or anyone not even associated with hockey. So go take that somewhere else.
Next, I am really glad that there are still guys like Lidstrom in sports who are unselfish and play with loyalty and not deep pockets. I am really glad he chose to come back.
He may be a little inflated, but when you have that great of a crew to work with, your numbers will be higher than if the rest of the crew were mediocre. That is just how life works. They are all a reflection of each other, and because they are all that dang good, they make each other look even better.
But Spector, do you think he would have gotten a raise on the open market considering his age? (Hypothetically) I remember what the Ducks were going through with Schneider, so I was curious.
As a Wing fan for life I can guarantee you that Lidstrom IS that good. He rarely gets caught out of position, has a great shot from the point, his break out passes are almost always great. His stats might be a bit lower if he was on a lousy team like the Bruins, but then again, since we are playing what if, he would vastly improve any team he would play for, so is it the surrounding cast or his talents? He is definitely a first ballot HOF'er, and the #5 will not be worn by anyone else for the Wings.
As for what Lidstrom would command on the open market, being that defencemen are overpaid when signed as UFA, he could expect to get at least 9 million a year, if not more, especially if he signed with Toronto or Tampa. :)
Joe, Lidstrom would've easily commanded at least $9 million per, and would've received offers worth between $10-$11 million per. Despite his age he brings a lot to the table and given how well he's played he's one of those special few whose skills have yet to significantly deteriorate at that age. I doubt he would've gotten a five year deal or longer but someone would've happily ponied up at least three years, $10.5 million per season without batting an eyelash.
As per the notice I had on my main page and Soapbox page over the last two days, the site is presently undergoing an upgrade. It should be back up and running in a few hours.
Nick Lidstrom is a Red Wing 'til he decides he is not.
There is one defenseman who is better and that is Bobby Orr, anyone else is looking at Nick.
Modesty is not lost here in this comment or in Lidstrom, it is hard to be modest though, when talent and stats are number two; Lidstrom is looking at Bobby Orr at this point in his career that is the only person.
But I do think that Liles and Phaneuf are on their way currently to being in the top five.
Trying to solve the "Does the player make the team better or does the team make the player better?" puzzle is the path to madness. Do not look too deeply into that abyss. Rather, enjoy the happy confluence of events that have placed that collection of talent together and marvel at how they compliment each other.
That said, I think the great players thrive just about anywhere, particularly if a coach recognizes their talents and is willing to adapt his game plan to maximize their contributions. Don't discount the role Montana played in making Bill Walsh look so smart, or those receivers look so good. At the end of the day, it all comes down to the sum of the parts.
And the record shows that Pronger was a Norris-calibre defenseman in his single season in Edmonton (particularly in the playoffs), and his skill on the breakout pass contributed to career years (thus far) for a number of Oilers forwards. I've no doubt Lidstrom would perform similarly if he was on the Oilers roster or on just about any other team in the league.
1. Bobby Orr ( nuff said )
2. Larry Robinson ( Best 2 way of all time )
3. Scott Niedermayer ( Just a Winner and Greatest Skater)
4. Brian Leach ( One of my all time fav players)
5. Chris Chelios ( Freak of Nature )
) We wouldn't disagree with putting Lidstrom into a top 5 list all-time. He has played at a very high level for an extended period. Not flashy, but effective.
2) Most 'lists of all time' are generationally biased but we'd put him there with Orr, Potvin, Harvey, etc. He should easily be a first ballot HOF-er
3) Never met him, but he also seems to be a really nice man. Not to mention when you hear him interviewed he speaks better English than 90% of the guys on this side of the pond!
How can you possibly make a Top Five list for defensemen?
Let's start with (in no particular order) Bobby Orr, Larry Robinson, Doug Harvey, Ray Bourque and Denis Potvin. That's not a bad list.
But what about Scott Stevens, Scott Niedermayer, Nicklas Lidstrom, Brian Leetch and Rod Langway? Gee, that's other good five...
Hey, how about Eddie Shore, Paul Coffey, Red Kelly, Chris Chelios and Dit Clapper? Hmm, none of those guys are stiffs...
Let's stop at those 15 players, although there are more we could add to the mix. It's impossible to do merely five, because you're going to be leaving too much talent on the cutting room floor. Bobby Orr is the free square on every Top Five bingo card, but after that you can take any grouping of four names from those other 14 players and make a pretty strong argument that there's your list.
Regardless of all this, Lidstrom is currently one of the top active defensemen in the NHL and should be commended for taking less money to remain with the Wings rather than using the UFA market to shop around for a richer contract.
I'm Lyle Richardson, also known as Spector, Foxsports.com 's "Prince of Pucks".,which is based on the fact I live in Prince Edward Island, Canada and I couldn't think of a better byline. I've been an NHL hockey commentator since 1998 on my website, Spector's Hockey, and I'm a contributing writer for Foxsports.com , The Hockey News and Eishockey News. I'm also a regular on The Faceoff Hockey Show and a frequent guest on "The Late Crew" on The Team 1200 Ottawa.
