Abel to Yzerman
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Million Dollar Goal?
by IwoCPO on 02/06/08 at 03:53 AM ET
Comments (26)
Updated 0956: quick analysis (at bottom of this post) of several Wing forwards who left, and how they fared the next season.
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Dan Cleary may have made himself a few bucks last night. We’ll get to that in a minute. First, I see that Teemu Selanne registered a point in his first game back. That’s nice. That’s a nice story. I guess, and I’ll have to check with the league office on this one...I guess with one point in one game, he’s now considered a Hart front runner? How disappointing that he couldn’t have planned just a little bit better, a return one or two games before the All Star break so that he could have justified a starter’s role in Atlanta.
Cleary? Just a minute. I’m not a big Peter Forsberg fan. Can’t quite put my finger on it. Something nags at me about him and I have trouble figuring it out.
You have no idea how frustrating it is to sit here with this gnawing feeling, this distaste, disliking another human being but lacking the mental capacity to really pinpoint the reason why. I don’t like white rice either, but I know why. God I hate white rice. But Forsberg? I don’t know what it is and that makes me all itchy. Sometimes I get this feeling like an awakening is right there...even an epiphany, a white light of insight that explains why he grates on me.
Wait…
...I think I may have it. Yes. I’m certain. I’ve finally figured it out. Why don’t I like Peter Forsberg?
Because he’s a piece of garbage Dive, that’s why. Is, was, will be. Spleen or no spleen. Healthy foot, club foot, stinky foot, foot long sub. I don’t care. A Dive’s a Dive’s a Dive. I don’t like his Crocs. I don’t like the fawning in Sweden, the stamp, his dad or the whole “Foppa” thing. “Foppa”. The only thing I like about Forsberg is the fact that he started the Red Wing Franchise Rejuvenation Project by going after Igor Larionov in ‘96.
Now that I’ve finally figured out why I don’t like the guy, I can admit one thing I respect about him. He, apparently, doesn’t like us either.
The Red Wings made a pitch to sign free-agent center Peter Forsberg, but he let them know he is not interested in playing for Detroit. The longtime Colorado Avalanche star apparently would feel somewhat like a traitor if he joined his former club’s one-time arch-rival.
Forsberg has been skating and working out in his native Sweden and recently gave his agent the go-ahead to begin negotiating with a select group of NHL teams, which doesn’t include the Red Wings.
Good. Here’s hoping he signs in Denver and they get that 8 seed.
Alright. On to our boy Charlie Buckets. One of our more underused, but brilliant, entries in the A2Y glossary. Dan Cleary, the boy with the golden ticket. Wandering the streets of dreary whatevertownBucketsgrewupin, not wanting to go home because Grampa Joe wasn’t getting out of bed and yet another dinner of disgusting thick tasteless soup awaited him. A sparkle in the gutter, a silver dollar. That money could feed his family for a week! Oh, the turmoil. Tasty Wonka chocolate and a chance at a trip every child in the world was hoping for, or food on the Bucket table. Screw it. Grabbed it. Bought the bar. Ripped it open. Golden Ticket. Hell yes.
And next thing you know ol’ Charlie Buckets is a Wing. New life. Hometown hero status. Big goals. Flying elbows in the chops of men named Dion. Black eyes and dollar signs. Oh yes. He must be paid. That’s right Helene, he must be paid.
St. James wrote yesterday that it’s decision time for Charlie. Bread on the table or a trip to the chocolate river with Mike TV and big fat Augustus Frigging Gloop. Patrick Sharp signed an extension in Chicago that comes to 3.9/year for four. Cleary and his agent are apparently using that number as a benchmark. Charlie’s got a dilemma.
“I think everyone knows how much I like it here, how much of a fit it is for me,” he said. “I really want to be here for a long time, and I believe things will get done.”
That confidence may ebb as the numbers are laid out before him. The Wings want to get Cleary done at around $2.5 million a season, and in return will offer plenty of term. But do the math in the Sharp deal, and that adds up to Cleary’s camp knowing he might make $1.4 million more on the open market this summer.
“That’s a lot of money,” Cleary said. “That’s something I would have to talk with my family about and make a decision about. It’d be a tough spot.”
Hometown discount, you’re thinking. Cleary loves being a Wing. Everyone loves being a Wing. The mystique is worth a million itself. The honor of it, the aura, the flowing robes. Striking.
Nice idea. But you be the one to tell Mrs. Buckets that you left 1.5 million on the table because that Winged Wheel is so cool. See. Us guys? We’re not the brightest. “Danny’ll sign for whatever Kenny offers him ‘cause Stevie and Hullie and Nicky and Skippy and Joey and Donny all took the discount ‘cause it’s what Wings do to make the team better ‘cause guys like to win and winning’s all that matters. That and beer.” The chicks? A little smarter when it comes to dollars. Baroque, former Wing commenter and current HTT novelist, comments at On The Wings.
I think, if Cleary had previously signed a large contract in his career, it would be a bit easier for him to accept less to stay. The fact that this is the first time he’ll be able to get a large contract to give himself and his family security makes the choice a lot harder.
I don’t envy the man. He has a bit of thinking to do.
Damn right he does. St. James mentions that if this thing isn’t done by the deadline, that Buckets could be bait. Oh boy. Now that wouldn’t be a fun time. Cleary is Uncle Mike’s boy. The poster child for the Babcock Way. Last night proved it. Shoot the puck. Shoot the puck. Shoot it Sammy. Shoot it. Sit you dumbass. Watch Danny. Shoot Danny. Score. Tie. Win. Joy. Maybe a million dollar goal.
Dan Cleary, Charlie Buckets to you and me, has got himself a decision to make. You know he’s grateful for the opportunity the Wings have given him. They’ve literally changed his life, gave him a chance that few other teams would have. He’s earned that money. He’s earned, as hard as it’s going to be, the opportunity to decide whether staying in Detroit with a chance for a Cup is worth leaving another silver dollar in the gutter.
Tough, tough call. My prediction? Buckets stays to the tune of 2.8/year for three years. Loyalty wins out. But here’s the thing. If I’m wrong and Cleary walks, or is dealt because it’s apparent he’s gonna hold out for more money, then you know the decision was made for the right reasons.
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Andrew from Ann Arbor and Baroque got me thinking a bit. Kudos. How do Wings do when they opt to leave or are traded? Generally, not well. Or not as well as they did in Detroit.
Fedorov
02-03 Detroit 36g-47a-83pts
03-04 Duckies 31g-34a-65pts
Shanny
05-06 Detroit 40-41-81
06-07 NYR 29-33-62
Kozlov
00-01 Detroit 20-18-38
01-02 Buffalo 9-13-22
And here’s the one I think Cleary should be looking hard at. Marty Lapointe, we all know, had his career year--the season that made him a very rich guy--in 2000-01. We all remember his contract year and the 27 goals, 30 assists...not to mention the disastrous penalties in the playoffs. Off he went to Boston where his production dropped by ten goals and 17 points. He’s never reached that level again, or even close to it.
Why? The system. The environment. The leadership. Take your pick, but players who leave Detroit--Kozlov a notable exception--do not do as well elsewhere. Any of the players listed above were all hurt at some point the year following. Darren McCarty, not listed above, had a reasonably good year in 67 games his first season in Calgary. But we know the rest of that story.
Injuries affected almost all of the departing Wings’ drop in production, but that has to be taken into consideration as well. The Wing system, generally speaking, of puck possession keeps the forward corps relatively healthy. 2002’s roster of senior citizens is testament to that.
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Comments
I think he’ll get somewhere around $3 million, personally, as that’s the going rate, but he’s staying. It’s hard to take less when you’re signing THE contract of your career, but there are 22 guys in the locker room, three coaches, and a whole bunch of front office people who want Dan Cleary to be a Wing, and I think $3 million and some term can get it done.
Posted by George James Malik from South Lyon, MI on 02/06/08 at 05:55 AM ET
as much as it amazes me to say, since he came here on a tryout, but the Wings NEED Cleary..
he’s got that edge that we need in the playoffs.
Posted by Pharazon from England on 02/06/08 at 06:28 AM ET
(Former commenter only because of work and computer issues.)
Who knows, his wife has stuck by him through some tough times for him in his career. The couple may talk it out, and decide that he’s happy here, she’s happy here, they don’t want to move, and for more years than he might get elsewhere it might be worth it to stay.
Same decision anyone else makes if they have the opportunity to take a job elsewhere for more salary but a longer commute. How much is the time worth?
Hopw much is the opportunity to win consistently worth?
I mean, if he didn’t sign, he could be part of a package deal to Toronto or something. 8-0 to the Panthers at home.
Wonder what kind of effort they will have on Saturday?
Posted by Baroque from Michigan on 02/06/08 at 08:27 AM ET
I think he would only be part of a package deal if the returning player was of the same age and was going to be sign for a multi year deal.
The wings aren’t going to trade him if it doesn’t make sense they rather risk losing him this summer. If he nets 10 more goals and gets 30 and he has a great playoff run, he may just be worth 3.9 million. I do think Detroit makes him a better player, and he wouldn’t have these numbers if he played else where.
Posted by Jdunc from Flint, MI on 02/06/08 at 09:12 AM ET
I think we all trust George on these things, because more often than not he’s right and we’re wrong. But I have a hard time seeing Holland give him more than 2.5 when Homer makes 2.25. If Cleary gets more, it’s got to be solely because Babcock begged for it. And I can see that happening.
The issue for Cleary is that he’s worth more to this team than he is to any other club. Unless he goes to the Sens or Ducks, he’s won’t be nearly as valuable as he’s been in Detroit. On a mediocre team like Chicago, Cleary would not put up the numbers Sharp has put up, unless he lands somewhere that has two future all-stars to play with him. And that situation doesn’t exist anywhere.
I wouldn’t blame Cleary for leaving if he felt the need to get as much money as possible. Bless him for it. More so, I question the judgment of the team giving him that big contract, because the only teams that will do it are those that are in the pits.
Posted by Nathan on 02/06/08 at 09:16 AM ET
The million-dollar question for Dan now is, “How much is happiness worth?” We’ve all done it. Turned down more dollars for a better fit. Now when you’re talking the difference between earning four million and earning around three, well, the decision is slightly easier to make because even if you take less, that’s one less Ferrari a year. It’s not like the difference between eating Hamburger Helper or filet mignon. Or between eating and not eating. Hell, with wise investment, it’s not even like the difference between being poor and being quite comfortable in your late-thirties retirement.
Cleary’s moved around his entire career. Does he want to move again? More uncertainty? Chase the brass ring no matter what that means for his life beyond the bottom line? Or does he stick around, take the dicount along with a legitimate shot at the Cup (and more to come), a locker room and front office that wants him there, an organization that takes care of its own after they retire, the knowledge that said organization demonstrated a firm belief in him when nobody else did, and a situation in which he’s happy and he knows what he can expect?
You’ll have to pardon me if it seems like a no-brainer.
There’s also the factor that his play is a lot like Sammy’s, simliar points and all, and he only makes around $1.5 a year. And the lack of a long proven track record would count against Cleary on the open market.
All that said, it’s a tough call, and if he walks or gets traded, I can’t say I blame him. I’ll be thankful for the time he did give us, for the way he showed that Uncle Mike’s ways were winning ways.
I just hope he puts pen to paper in Detroit soon.
Chief, glad we think alike on Floppa. Even more glad he thinks of us so fondly. Remember this lil’ bit of venom?
No way would I be able to contain myself if a Dive loyalist like him had the absolute and utter audacity to take more Red Wing ice time ahead of a man who nearly lost his face because of him and his team of cheap-shot artists. You wanna see Fire On Ice? Get Floppa in Detroit and then watch what I do.
I gots the hate bad, me.
Posted by AndrewFromAnnArbor from the bank vault, cursing the salary cap on 02/06/08 at 09:27 AM ET
Dan Cleary is a Red Wing, and I think he will remain a Red Wing. I expect this contract thing to be settled shortly. The longer this drags on and the noisier the media gets about it will only make it tougher for Dan to not look stupid for staying. I think that is the major issue right now. I expect Chris Chelios to have some influence over Cleary, afrer all it was Cheli that arranged for the tryout.
Cleary has been around enough to know that what he has here is special. I expect Holland and Stevie to make it clear to him that Mr Ilitch was taught a big lesson by Federov, and will not make the same mistake ever again. Just my 2 cents, and I have been wrong occasionally.
Posted by HockeyTownTodd on 02/06/08 at 10:29 AM ET
RE: Forsberg—If he did come here, it would be another one of those acquisitions that just never feel right (e.g., Bernie Federko, Wendy Clark, Ulf Samelsson, Uwe Krupp, Derian Hatcher, Todd Bertuzzi). Plus, it’s time for Lidstrom, Zetterberg, Datsyuk, et al to lead this team to another Cup. It would be pretty sickening to have “Foppa” engraved alongside their names. 
RE: Cleary—Like others, I believe he will re-sign. He seems to understand and appreciate the opportunity he’s been given by the organ-I-zation. Granted, his hard work has made the most of it, but without that opportunity, where is he now? AHL? Out of hockey? Or even worse, Toronto? 
Posted by YzermanZetterberg on 02/06/08 at 11:42 AM ET
Everyone has already laid out the issues at hand, but Andrew has the best vision of this. Money in hand/now is enticing, but thinking about being in the organization years after retirement should make him drool. He’ll make up for lost money in a much longer term and give his family the security of a home base, which very few hockey players actually get to have.
Here’s hoping Cleary’s wife reads this blog.
One more thing: Martin Brodeur has the best angle on contract vs. winning. I don’t remember when or where, but he was asked why he didn’t consider leaving New Jersey to other places for more money. Would NJ have matched the offer? yes, but he didn’t even try. why? “Win and everything else will take care of itself.” (paraphrase)
Anyway; Cleary stays because *the* contract of his *playing* career will not match a long and lucrative role in the organization well beyond black eyes and flying elbows to Dion.
Posted by Osrt on 02/06/08 at 11:45 AM ET
I think he could also expect to get more years from Detroit than from another team - say three-four years instead of two-three - and that would mean a lot as well because it would indicate that he had proven himself, instead of getting two years with the implied “we’ll just see how it works out, because we still don’t believe you can play like this consistently.” Detroit might not be able to pay as much for now, but would be willing to commit to him for a longer time. That kind of committment obviously means a lot to Draper, Holmstrom, et al. Maybe the trust that comes with a longer contract will sway him more than the ego boost from a larger salary.
They certainly wouldn’t ever balk at signing him because he was “too old,” that’s for sure.
Posted by Baroque from Michigan on 02/06/08 at 12:24 PM ET
Since when did Babblecock start blogging? And what happened to The Chief???
Seriously, you may want to check the nearest mirror: if you don’t see Raffy staring back at you and you have a scar on your chin - run.
Posted by Hoser from Downer Peninsula, Michigan on 02/06/08 at 12:41 PM ET
Detroit might not be able to pay as much for now, but would be willing to commit to him for a longer time.
I believe Ken Holland’s comment was, “We’ll give him as much term as he wants.” Or something pretty close to that, which made me shake my head a little.
Posted by YzermanZetterberg on 02/06/08 at 12:42 PM ET
Hoser, try as I might...I have no idea what you’re talking about.
Posted by IwoCPO from Washington, DC on 02/06/08 at 12:51 PM ET
Chief, read that post - it’s MBCQOTD all the way - only it wasn’t officially a MBCQOTD.
White rice, itching, epiphany, white light of insight (very nice by the way),
Spleen or no spleen. Healthy foot, club foot, stinky foot, foot long sub. I don’t care.
and you ice that MBCQOTD cake with Willie Wonka out the ...
Chief, when you check the mirror, the dude looking back at you should look rather like Brian Rafalski and not at all like Mike Babcock. That’s all I’m saying.
Posted by Hoser from Downer Peninsula, Michigan on 02/06/08 at 01:02 PM ET
Ahhhh...got it hoser. I was all over the place when I wrote that this morning. It’s funny how posts like that always start one way then end up completely frigging differently.
And Rafalski has more hair.
Posted by IwoCPO from Washington, DC on 02/06/08 at 01:08 PM ET
Military or no, the human brain was never intended to function at oh-dark-hundred.
I rather enjoyed it, but thought (for your own sake) that you might just want to do a sanity check…
Posted by Hoser from Downer Peninsula, Michigan on 02/06/08 at 01:12 PM ET
Speaking of the MBCQOTD...anyone seen those NHL Network ads with the coach talking to the media, explaining the neutral-zone to his players, etc.? Hilarious.
Posted by KB from Mizzurah on 02/06/08 at 01:49 PM ET
Dude, I LOVE that ad. Funniest thing I’ve seen in...oh, wait. I haven’t seen it. Why? Because my cable provider (VERIZON FIOS) doesn’t carry the NHL Network, or Center Ice.
Thanks Gary. Ass.
Posted by IwoCPO from Washington, DC on 02/06/08 at 01:53 PM ET
Haven’t seen those.
I love the tiny little goaltender ad for McDonald’s, though.
Posted by Baroque from Michigan on 02/06/08 at 02:01 PM ET
I would settle for a 3-year, $9 million, incentive-laden contract and I believe he would earn every bit of that dollar because that’s just the way he plays.
Then again, whatever accounting/fiscal budgeting voodoo Hollands cooks up for Cleary to remain in HockeyTown is perfectly digestable to me.
Posted by SYF from Las Vegas, NV on 02/06/08 at 02:21 PM ET
Don’t let Hoser pick no us bald guys, Bill...our extremely large foreheads are beautiful things…
Posted by George James Malik from South Lyon, MI on 02/06/08 at 04:45 PM ET
George: so long as bald guys don’t comb the sideburns from one ear across the top to the other ear - I have no quarrel with ‘em.
I know that The Chief doesn’t…
Posted by Hoser from Downer Peninsula, Michigan on 02/06/08 at 06:15 PM ET
Oh good Gordie Howe no...I’ve shaved my head for ten years now (started losing it at 15, and had to say, “Okay, I didn’t realize it was that thin, please shave it off” at 20), and it drives me nuts that Rafalski actually combs his wisps instead of just shaving ‘em off and embracing his scalp. In fact, I think Mark Recchi is the official president of the, “Oh, just shave it off already!” club…
Posted by George James Malik from South Lyon, MI on 02/06/08 at 06:58 PM ET
Great article about Cleary on NHL.COM:
http://www.nhl.com/nhl/app/?service=page&page=NewsPage&articleid=352535
The force is strong with that one, if I may add! It will be important for Detroit to nurture another potential American Great.
Posted by Snöfu from Sweden on 02/07/08 at 01:23 PM ET
The Force… Now that you mention it, he has those blue eyes that just glow.
Posted by w2j2 on 02/07/08 at 02:39 PM ET
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Cleary is a big proportion of the grit in the Wings’ lineup. Who took on Phaneuf? Who fought Pronger? Holland needs to be flexible and creative on a contract, and he needs to be signed.
Yzerman needs to get involved, like he did for Datsyuk. Would losing Cleary be like Edmonton losing Ryan Smythe? No. But it would hurt, badly.
Posted by w2j2 on 02/06/08 at 05:45 AM ET