Signing Dominik Hasek

I’ve been reading people elsewhere seemingly flipping out about the fact that Detroit doesn’t have Dominik Hasek signed yet.

A quote from one of the DetNews blogs…

Hasek, 42, isn’t interested in playing for any other team. He and the Wings are close to a deal but still are haggling over base pay dependent on how far away the Wings are from the salary-cap ceiling.

As noted earlier today, Hasek says he’ll re-sign with the Red Wings and only the Red Wings, but he may have to wait until the Red Wings finish re-signing Hudler, Meech, and the mysterious depth defenceman and forward with size that the Red Wings need.

What that means…

Hasek will sign with Detroit. The amount that Hasek will be paid has been determined. It’s just a matter of whether he’ll get that money in the form of base salary (which counts towards the cap this year) or sure-to-be-met bonuses (which count towards the cap next year).

The Wings need to finish up their other free agent signings before signing Hasek so that they know whether or not they need extra cap space this season. If they don’t, more of Hasek’s money will be in the base salary. If they’re nearer to the cap this year, they’ll put Hasek’s money into bonuses so that it gets pushed onto next year’s cap.

So calm down, he’s as good as signed, it’s just a matter of getting all the other ducks in a row first.