Red Wings Avoiding NHL Offer Sheet For “Personal Reasons”

We’ve previously reported that the Detroit Red Wings are looking to add more to the current roster. That said, they’ll be taking a patient approach, waiting for the right deals in NHL free agency or via trade. Some have wondered why the team hasn’t considered an offer sheet seeing as they have the cap space to make a pitch for a player while other teams are handcuffed by the flat salary cap.

Related: Red Wings Have Further Plans to Add to the NHL Roster

Toronto Sports media journalist Steve Simmons seems to know the answer. Simmons reported this weekend that the Red Wings aren’t tendering offer sheets, at least not to the Tampa Bay Lightning because there’s a personal reason not to.

Simmons writes:

The suspicion around is that Yzerman has too much respect for Lightning owner Jeff Vinik, whom he worked with for many years, to move in this direction. Tampa Bay has salary-cap issues, the Red Wings don’t: The timing would be perfect for an offer sheet. Just not so long as there are friendships involved.

As most know, Yzerman was the former general manager of the Lighting before leaving for Detroit to take over that job. While it might not be a sound business strategy if the right move is to tender an offer sheet, there’s certainly an understandable reason Yzerman wouldn’t want to go there.

Better Be Sure If You’re Going the Offer Sheet Route

Offer sheets don’t tend to work all that often and they certainly give the GM who offers it a bit of a reputation around the NHL. While a legal part of the contract process in the league, if Yzerman were going to burn a friend in that manner, he’d better be sure it was worth it, and that he’d land the player.

For him, it’s probably not worth taking that risk.

Next: Updates on 3 Notable NHL UFA’s Not Named Mike Hoffman