Whitney to Wings

[nccanes]

Red Wings sign Ray Whitney
TSN.ca Staff
7/29/2003

The Detroit Red Wings have made a move to help offset the loss of Sergei Fedorov, signing unrestricted free agent forward Ray Whitney to a four-year, $12.5-million contract.

Whitney scored 24 goals and 52 assists for a total of 76 points last season with the Columbus Blue Jackets. In 633 career NHL games, Whitney has scored 191 goals and 301 assists for 492 points.

His two full seasons in Columbus have been productive, with 45 goals and 137 points in 148 games to Whitney’s credit. The Blue Jackets, however, opted not to bring him back, signing unrestricted free agent Todd Marchant instead. Marchant signed for five years at $2.9 million per season.

Contract discussions between Whitney’s camp and the Blue Jackets were strained in the off-season. When Marchant’s signing was announced, Columbus general manager Doug MacLean made it clear that the money the team had budgeted for Whitney had been given to Marchant instead.

After a stellar junior career in Spokane that included a Memorial Cup title, Whitney was drafted by San Jose in the second round of the 1991 NHL entry draft. Whitney signed with Edmonton in October of 1997, but was waived a month later. He was claimed by the Panthers and blossomed in Florida, scoring 97 goals and 227 points in 273 games over three-and-a-half seasons.

The Panthers traded Whitney to Columbus as the March, 2001 trade deadline approached.

[raleighcanesfan]

Saw that coming a mile away. They were after him or Lang, but DC would only swallow a small portion of Lang's salary. Painfully obvious that he's nothing without Straka on one side and Jagr on the other.

Anyway, re: Whitney. Is this is smart move? Yes, he can put up numbers, but is weak defensively. Does putting that much pressure on the Wings' d make sense? I think the forwards playing some d has helped it be so good.

[tommy]

No doubt that playing some forwards on D has helped them, but recently, especially in the playoffs, it wasn't the D that was hurting them. Towards the end of the season, the offense was not it's usual self. The defense held up decently. I think Whitney is a good addition, even if it does put a tad more pressure on the defense.

[Shell]

Whitney's signing fills part of void
Holland admits Red Wings still in need of center with size
July 31, 2003
BY HELENE ST. JAMES
FREE PRESS SPORTS WRITER

Ray Whitney's acquisition has bolstered the Red Wings' offense while also exposing its glaring need: a center with size.

General manager Ken Holland admitted as much Wednesday afternoon during a news conference announcing the signing of Whitney to a three-year deal with a player/club option for a fourth, a contract worth at least $12 million.

Should Whitney equal the 76 points he scored last season with Columbus, "We'd be thrilled," Holland said, but the one thing the 5-foot-10 forward doesn't do is add bulk.
That's why Holland is pretty much wed to trading extraneous goaltender Curtis Joseph for a 6-foot-plus, No. 1 playmaker, another step toward easing the loss of superstar center Sergei Fedorov to Anaheim earlier this month.

"I've said all along that I don't think any one player is going to replace Sergei Fedorov," Holland said. "He was a special player, a special talent. We're going to have to build our team a little different, but we think with Ray Whitney, he's one of a number of players who can try to help fill the void. I don't expect him to play 23 minutes against the other team's best players every night, but I also think that if we use him properly that we can play to his strengths, and his strengths are his hands and his hockey sense.

"The one area where we're really probably lacking is some size down the middle -- that 6-foot-2 center-ice man, whether it be offensive or two-way."

Every Wings center is in the 5-foot-10 range. One candidate who could extend that curve is Robert Lang of Washington, a 6-2, 217-pounder with top-line skills. The only problem is that the Capitals already have Olaf Kolzig tending goal, and so any trade involving Joseph would require a third participant. Holland has had discussions with Caps general manager George McPhee, who already has agreed to pick up $4 million of the $20 million left on Lang's four-year deal.

Until the Wings resolve their goaltending situation, Holland said everything else is in a holding pattern. Holland has inquired about free-agent veteran center Joe Nieuwendyk, but the Wings would prefer to get a big center in return for Joseph.

Holland doesn't publicly reveal names during negotiations, but did say he has had some "interesting conversations" with other teams. He also said he is considering putting Joseph on waivers, which would yield nothing in return for him -- but would at least free the Wings from his salary.

Holland is also renegotiating goalie Dominik Hasek's contract, trying to reduce it from $8 million to $6 million in exchange for a no-trade clause. Hasek's agent, Rich Winter, said there was no such agreement yet, but Holland said: "Dom is not playing for eight million dollars -- I'll leave it at that."

One longtime Wings forward who may have lost out as a result of the Whitney signing is Igor Larionov. The Wings offered him $1 million in June, then pulled the offer in July when Larionov said he wouldn't accept it. Like Larionov, Whitney is terrific on the power play and, like Larionov, what he lacks in size and defensive moxie he makes up for with creativity and skill.

"I'm not sure where Igor fits in with the signing of Ray Whitney," Holland said. "When you put a team together you want to have a bunch of different types of ingredients, one of which is size. I love the skill level of everybody, but we do lack some size up the middle."

Whitney's agent, J. P. Barry, told the Associated Press that Whitney's contract is worth $3 million in the first year, $3.25 million the second and $3.5 million in the third. He said the fourth-year club option is $3 million to $4 million, and the player option $2.25 million to $3.5 million.