Red Wings Waive Hatcher, Whitney, McCarty
posted by Brian List @ 7/25/2005 06:08:00 PM ::
7 comments
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The Red Wings put Derian Hatcher, Ray Whitney, and Darren McCarty on waivers on Monday, where, if they go unclaimed, they will be bought out. Such a move would free up $9.31 million in cap space for next season, but will cost Mike Ilitch $15.5 million over the terms of their contracts.
It's nice to see this move after calling for it the past five weeks on this site. Maybe GM Ken Holland reads the newspapers and/or Red Wings blogs, because those three have been pegged as buyout candidates for awhile now. I'd like to think I influenced a few on this issue, as On the Wings was the first of the media/blogs to call for the buyouts of Hatcher, Whitney, and McCarty.
So what do the Wings do with the extra cap space? First secure Pavel Datsyuk and Henrik Zetterberg, acquire a veteran goaltender (Osgood), scoring forward (Glen Murray), and a second-line defenseman, and then finish signing guys like Steve Yzerman, Mathieu Dandenault, and Jason Williams.
Red Wings assistant GM Jim Nill:
"They've been a big, big part of our franchise. This is just a part of doing business right now with the new CBA...[on McCarty] He's a hard-working, roll-up-your-sleeves kind of guy. He's really what the city's all about. He came every night to play hard. He was a big part of our success."
7 Comments:
Hey Brian!
Thanks for the comments! :)
And I don't wanna see Darren McCarty with another jersey.
McCarty is Detroit. Just it.
It's so unfortunate it all had to come to this. Maybe if the guys came to terms last year we could have kept McCarty. It's purely busniness. Anyway, I for one sincerely hope we don't meet McCarty in the post season!!!
Do you know if Jason Woolley is under contract?
Because I didn't see his name on LGW.com or RedWingsCentral, but I saw him "under contract" on USAToday.
McCarty is definitely the hardest buyout of the three. Just because he's been here for 11-12 years since we drafted him, and he's been a huge part of the organization and community. I have a feeling he'll still live here during the summer though, when he would come back to play with his band Grinder.
It's sad to see Mac go, but I'm glad the Wings have the guts to make this type of move. It's a clear signal that this club will no longer keep guys around in an unconditional loyalty if they don't earn their keep. Tenure is not enough reason for being re-signed anymore (exception to Yzerman).
As for Hatcher, it's also sad that things didn't work out and we never got a chance to see him at 100%. He lives in his hometown of Detroit during the summer, along with his family, so we'll see Derian around town still. He did roller hockey in Utica this summer, and might continue in that league next summer. Also, rumor is that Dallas is interested in Hatcher...
As for Whitney, I could care less he's gone. If you're worried about losing his numbers (14 goals and 29 assists), remember that most of his points came off of second assists. Numbers like that are not impressive when you're on the Wings - the best offensive team in the league with highly skilled linemates. I'm sure his bought out salary can be well spent on another forward out there...
I noticed that too, Humberto. The Detroit News lists Woolley as an unrestricted free agent:
http://www.detnews.com/2005/wings/0507/14/D01-247264.htm
But TSN lists him as signed:
http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/feature.asp?fid=7006
The tie-breaker can be found on the NHLPA's website:
http://www.nhlpa.com/WebStats/PlayerBiography.asp?ID=6038
They list Woolley as "2005/06 Compensation: $703,000.00", the same number TSN has. So I'd tend to trust the NHLPA website - they've always been an accurate site to find player salaries.
If by chance the NHLPA is wrong, I'd expect Woolley to sign with the Wings for around that much anyways...
My heart just cannot accept Darren McCarty playing for any team other than the Detroit Red Wings. That hurts.
I just hope he'll be back next year to quit as a Wing.
I wish McCarty signed to play for Grand-Rapids Griffins!
In the next year he would sign with the Wings.
And I like Woolley. He's a good player to us.
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