Henrik Zetterberg may miss entire 2018/19 season

[Bobby4Ever]

i wish i could see that far into my future!

[Bass56]

Shocking how this perfectly correlated with Zetterberg's contract taking a nose dive and Detroit has a pressing need for cap space.

No, Zetterberg decided he was retiring in 2018 on January 28, 2009.

I agree, when he signed that contract, I’m sure the thought of retiring early crossed his mind based on the salary distribution. The extra years gave him job security but now that he’s not feeling 100%, the risk does not outweigh the paycheck.

Had he had the equivalent of his cap hit as a salary this year, I think we wouldn’t be talking about this issue...

[chuckcouples]

I agree, when he signed that contract, I’m sure the thought of retiring early crossed his mind based on the salary distribution. The extra years gave him job security but now that he’s not feeling 100%, the risk does not outweigh the paycheck.

Had he had the equivalent of his cap hit as a salary this year, I think we wouldn’t be talking about this issue...

While I see the point of this concept, it doesn't make sense to me. Zetterberg (like Hossa and others before him) gets paid whether or not he's playing hockey. There is no more incentive for the player to not play this year then there was last year or next year. If anything, these players becoming too "injured" to play is being pushed by the teams they play for. Zetterberg does not benefit from him not playing this year but the Red Wings do because they can gain his cap hit in LTIR room which allows them to spend more money on other players. The only thing this costs them is Zetterberg's actual salary which is significantly less than his cap hit.

[Skippy]

Not sure if this will behind the paywall for you guys, but this is a very good and relative article about Rasmussen.

https://theathletic.com/491908/2018/...for-red-wings/