Detroit Red Wings promising defenseman Albert Johansson is the latest player to discover that general manager Steve Yzerman is a ruthless contract negotiator.
Sure, it's fair to argue that Johansson, with little experience of the NHL game, didn't have enough weapons on his side when he sat down at the table across from Yzerman in the latest player-GM contract showdown, but Yzerman has shown us in the past that even when the weapons are at hand, he can fight back with the best of them.
Update: Detroit #Red Wings The team signed defenseman Albert Johansson to a one-year, two-way contract extension today.
More details: https://t.co/rd0h5HpV3i pic.twitter.com/SD4yfdXfIh
— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) June 19, 2024
The Red Wings announced Wednesday that the 23-year-old Swedish defenseman agreed to a one-year contract. A restricted free agent, Johansson's contract will pay him $775,000 if he plays in the NHL, just above the NHL minimum salary of $750,000.
Meanwhile, if Johansson were to return to the AL with the Grand Rapids Griffins, his salary would plummet to $90,000 a year — a significant reduction considering the $660,000 bus fare to get there. Still, it would be $20,000 more than what Johansson made with the Griffins last season.
Johansson needs to clear waivers.
Perhaps Johansson is also taking a gamble. As a non-optioned player, he would need to clear NHL waivers to return to the Griffins. Would the Red Wings want to risk losing Johansson again down the ranks next season before giving him a shot in the NHL?
Albert Johansson scores for the Griffins. Check out Bergren's play here. #LGRW pic.twitter.com/sAVsYBXKMX
— Ice Hockey Gifts (@IcehockeyG) December 6, 2023
Johansson, the 60th overall selection in the 2019 NHL Draft, has received positive progress reports from Grand Rapids coach Dan Watson.
“(He's) a guy that's prepared, a guy that's professional, a guy that does things the right way,” Watson said.
Yzerman: The Hard-line Negotiator
Johansson isn't the first player on a team to find that there's little room for compromise when sitting down at the negotiating table with Yzerman. Even the veteran Red Wings know he's a tough opponent.
Center Joe Veleno, who scored 18 goals in 152 NHL games last season, was only offered a one-year contract worth $825,000 by the Red Wings general manager, making him the team's lowest-paid regular player.
Even the big players have noticed Yzerman's negotiating stance. Forward Tyler Bertuzzi, who scored 30 goals in 2022-23, was seeking a big raise and a long-term contract as a soon-to-be UFA, but Yzerman traded him to the Boston Bruins.
Judging by Bertuzzi's performance in the two seasons since then, Yzerman's hardline stance appears to have been the right approach.
That same season, captain Dylan Larkin was also on the verge of becoming a UFA. After a lengthy and drawn-out negotiation process, the captain ultimately agreed to an eight-year, $8.7 million contract. Larkin's camp had been looking for an annual salary in the range of $9 million to $10 million.
