Well we have expected this, and the Red Wings pulled it off at the draft. They have unloaded Pavel Datsyuk’s contract to the Arizona Coyotes in a deal which also saw them give up the 16th pick of the draft. In return, the Red Wings get the 20th pick, the 53rd pick, Joe Vitale, and most importantly the extra cap space in case there was a certain free agent superstar they wanted to try to sign.
Datsyuk’s $7.5 million cap hit will go a long way to sign Steven Stamkos if they wanted to do it. And let’s face it, with Datsyuk gone to the KHL anyway, why wouldn’t they? And they did it at the low, low price of trading down four spots in the draft, while getting a depth guy and a second-round pick to do it? It’s a serious stroke of genius by Ken Holland.
As for the Coyotes, they used that 16th pick to draft two-way defenseman Jakob Chychrun. Taking the cap hit doesn’t kill them now as they’re rebuilding, but unless Chychrun turns into a stud, it just doesn’t seem as if they’re getting enough for helping the Red Wings try to get the ultimate prize in Stamkos.
And it’s worth noting that on Arizona’s roster, they will not only have Datsyuk’s contract, but also the contract of Chris Pronger. That’s close to 12 and a half million dedicated to players who give the Coyotes a great chance to make the 2010 playoffs.
