A few days before the start of training camp, the Red Wings have secured a key piece of their future. The other should soon fall into place.
Detroit has signed restricted free agent Lucas Raymond to an eight-year, $64.6 million contract worth $8.075 million annually. The 22-year-old forward led the team in scoring last season and took his game to new heights during a playoff push that fell one point short.
"He’s a fabulous, talented player with great hockey sense," GM Steve Yzerman said after the season. "He plays with a lot of courage, a lot of determination and I think his confidence has grown over the course of the season. He's an exciting player, obviously, and can do some really special things with the puck."
Raymond started slowly last season, under the pressure of playing for his next deal. He said that "disappeared from my mind" as the stakes rose for the Red Wings later in the year, and his production reflected it. He had 19 goals and 38 points in his final 37 games, including 14 goals in the final 18 when his team needed him the most.
All told, Raymond had 31 goals and 72 points in 82 games.
"He certainly showed, more so down the stretch, his game-breaking ability, scoring big goals, key goals. I don’t think that’s an aberration," Yzerman said. "I think he’s going to continue to do that."
Raymond's new deal will take him through his age-29 season. If he continues on his current trajectory, it will turn into a bargain. Asked about his future in Detroit at the end of last season, Raymond said he wasn't sure how contract negotiations would go, but "what I do know is that I love this team, I love this city and I want to be here."
Fellow restricted free agent Moritz Seider said the same thing: "It’s not a big secret, I want to be a Red Wing." Detroit's best defenseman is still unsigned, but the team has the cap space to get something done in the next few days. The 23-year-old is likely to sign a contract similar to Raymond's.