If this is indeed the end of Pavel Datsyuk's distinguished NHL career, it will go into the record books this way: Two Stanley Cup championships, three Selke Trophies, four Lady Byng Awards and more electrifying highlight-reel goals than any Russian player since Pavel Bure.
Datsyuk didn't want to make it official Thursday night, when the Red Wings became the first team eliminated from the Stanley Cup playoffs and that's perfectly understandable. In the immediate aftermath of a five-game loss to a team missing two of its key players, the disappointment was palpable, the realization of an opportunity lost still too raw.
But Datsyuk had indicated before the playoffs began that he might return to play in Russia next season for both personal and professional reasons. Nor does Datsyuk's desire to return to Russia come as a bolt out of the blue to the Red Wings.
Two years ago, he made his interest known to general manager Ken Holland after his contract expired. Holland persuaded Datsyuk to stay, on the grounds that he remained a star player in the NHL; could easily sign one more lucrative contract; and still be a competitive player in Russia before age finally caught up to him.
Datsyuk turns 38 in July. In the past, once a player clearly tied to a single NHL organization passes his 35th birthday, he signs a series of one-year contracts, which provide him with the flexibility to re-evaluate his playing future at the end of every season. Teemu Selanne did it that way for years in Anaheim, Joe Sakic with Colorado, even Nicklas Lidstrom with the Red Wings.
The mechanism helps both sides – the player and the team.
Instead, the Red Wings gave Datsyuk a three-year extension, which paid him $10-million in the first year, $7-million this past year and drops to $5.5-million next year. Under the collective agreement, if Datsyuk leaves, the Red Wings will have to carry that final year – and the $7.5-million cap charge – on their books, which would put them in a financial pickle for one year anyway.
The Red Wings have made the playoffs for an astonishing 25 years in a row, a record of consistency and excellence that requires a moment to digest and appreciate. No one else in the NHL comes close.
Of late, however, they have settled into the NHL middle, a dangerous place to be. Consistent success means low draft picks. There are only so many Dylan Larkins available 15th over all in the entry draft, only so many Anthony Manthas at 20th over all.
Holland and his staff have done a remarkable job of drafting players and, in recent years, of resisting the temptation to move out blue-chip young talent in exchange for short-term help. They were keenly aware that the cupboard needed to be restocked, with Datsyuk having a foot out the door and Henrik Zetterberg probably not all that far behind.
In the meantime, there are more prospects in the pipeline. The 110th player chosen in 2012, Andreas Athanasiou, came up in the second half and showed that he might have NHL offensive chops. Tomas Tatar and Gus Nyquist are still young. Tomas Jurco and Teemu Pulkkinen, two players who played well for coach Jeff Blashill in the minors in Grand Rapids, Mich., have not settled into regular NHL roles, but will get a fresh opportunity to show they belong next year.
Although he faltered down the stretch, the Red Wings believe Petr Mrazek will eventually develop into a legitimate No. 1 goaltender.
But if Datsyuk leaves, it will likely mean the Wings are facing a transitional year until they get his contract off the books, a year that will feature lots of young players, playing on inexpensive contracts at the NHL level.
It probably wouldn't hurt to take one deliberate step backward and see where it all ends up.
Blashill told reporters earlier this week that, organizationally, the Red Wings' primary goal is to develop winners. Detroit's winning tradition is indisputable. It remains the last team to win back-to-back Stanley Cups in 1997 and 1998 and it also won in 2002 and 2007. Most fans of most teams would happily take four titles in two decades.
But now, after four first-round exits in the past five years, there is no clear sense that the Red Wings are legitimate championship contenders any more. Even if they can persuade Datsyuk to change his mind for a year – and that's doubtful – it doesn't alter the fact that his era is mostly over. They need to move on to the next chapter. If it happens sooner rather than later, so be it.
Datsyuk's exit should be viewed the same way Lidstrom's was – both left nothing but wonderful memories behind. If this was his swan song, out of respect for everything Datsyuk's done for the organization, the Wings should just let him go, with their thanks.
They'll find a way without him. In Detroit, they almost always do.
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