Deadline set by Datsyuk's agent

It looks like Ken Holland won't get Labor Day off like most of the rest of us. Pavel Datsyuk's agent, Gary Greenstin, has made September 5th the deadline for the Wings to meet an agreement with his client. If no deal is reached by then, Datsyuk will sign a contract with Moscow Dynamo and negotiations will be delayed until next spring. John Niyo of the Detroit News reports that Ken Holland is unperturbed and is more interested in the NHL-imposed deadline for Group 2 free agency signings: December 1st. He quotes Holland as saying:

"They've got some dates that they feel are pressure points. But those dates don't mean anything to me. I don't think that's a very good negotiation, when I'm operating under a deadline and nobody else is."

Holland is obviously pushing for Datsyuk to have an "out-clause" if he does end up signing with Dynamo. In that case, the Wings could bring Pavel to Detroit if they free up some cap room at some point down the road. I don't know how likey it is that Datsyuk would be able to convince Dynamo to incorporate such a clause or if he'd even be willing himself. It doesn't look good, folks. Also, due to a mutual agreement between the two sides, further negotiations with Henrik Zetterberg have been postponed until early next week. So Kenny should have the whole weekend to dedicate to reaching an agreement with Pavel. I hope his time isn't completely wasted.