Riley Sheahan's Contract Could Be A Steal For Red Wings
By: Will Burchfield
@burchie_kid
The Red Wings made their first substantial move of the offseason on Thursday, resigning center Riley Sheahan to a two year, $4.15 million contract. The deal was a fair one for both sides, but the Wings may look quite shrewd in hindsight.
Sheahan, 24, is coming off his second full season in the NHL. He put up 14 goals and 25 points in 2015-16, a scoring line that actually regressed from his previous season's total. But Sheahan had a much better second half than first, and emerged as one of the Wings' most important two-way forwards down the stretch.
If Sheahan simply matches his output from the final month and a half of the season – when he put up seven goals and 12 points in 22 games – the Wings will extract terrific value from his $2.075 cap hit. That's a 45-point pace over an 82-game season; Gustav Nyquist, by comparison, earned $4.75 million in 2015-16 and produced 43 points.
That's admittedly a large bump in production over one season, and it's more likely that Sheahan finishes somewhere closer to his 2014-15 totals: 13 goals, 36 points. But unlike, say, Nyquist, Sheahan isn't measured solely by his offensive putout.
What Sheahan provides the Wings that they so desperately need is size. Detroit is noticeably small up front, especially down the middle. This makes it hard for the team to drive possession in the offensive zone and control the puck below the goal line. At 6'3, 220 lbs, Sheahan is one of the few forwards on this Wings team that can stand up to the many oversize defensemen in the NHL.
At the other end of the ice, Sheahan is just as sturdy. Last year was the first time he had been given considerable defensive responsibility in his NHL career, and Sheahan rose to the occasion. Without getting too bogged down in the numbers, he started more than half of his shifts in the defensive zone but the Wings had a positive shot differential when he was on the ice.
Sheahan had been a positive possession player in his first two seasons as well, but under mostly sheltered deployment. That he was able to tilt the ice while playing a more defensive-oriented game against stiffer competition bodes will for his progression moving forward. Last season was really the first time Sheahan's feet had been held to the NHL fire, and the big center didn't back away.
This contract is a bridge deal for Sheahan, a brief extension until he hits unrestricted free agency in 2018. Considering the length of the commitment, it's hard to envision a scenario in which GM Ken Holland and Co. emerge as flat-out thieves.
Still, Sheahan, right now, is easily worth $2.075 million per season. He's a big center – which can't be taken "lightly" – he is effective at both ends of the ice, and he's a reliable penalty killer. A year from now, Sheahan will possess all of the abilities mentioned above, only they'll be more refined.
Then there's everything he might add. On top of killing penalties, it's not hard to imagine Sheahan carving out a role for himself as a net-front presence on the power play. Though a third-line center today, one doesn't have to squint too hard to see Sheahan grabbing a top-six role in the near future, given his much-needed size and ability to play the wing.
The Wings are banking on this kind of development taking place, and they are wise to do so. A player making just over $2 million each of the next two seasons may soon be worth a whole lot more.
