Saturday: The team officially confirmed Veleno’s re-signing and the $2.275MM AAV.
Friday: The Detroit Red Wings have signed centerman Joe Veleno to a two-year contract, shares Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman (Twitter link). The deal will carry an annual average value of $2.275MM and settles negotiations with a multi-year deal before Veleno was set for salary arbitration.
Veleno found his footing in the NHL during the 2022-23 season, posting 20 points in 81 games as he fought to carve out a role in Detroit’s middle-six. The performance was enough to earn him a one-year, “prove it” deal with the Red Wings last summer, though it came at a $70K cut in salary from his entry-level deal. But Veleno made quick work of the opportunity, stamping out 12 goals, 16 assists, and 28 points this season – all career-highs.
He’s had to work out of the high-energy, high-scoring role he carried through his four-year QMJHL career, instead leaning much more into the physical advantages of his 6-foot-1, 201-pound frame. That change in style has made him much more effective at filling the responsibilities of a third-line centerman, with Veleno ranking fourth among Red Wings forwards and hits (108) and third among centermen in faceoff percentage (49.0 percent) this season. Veleno’s production has grown in tandem with his intangibles, and he’ll now get a chance to earn one more pay raise before his prime years.
that which drives an English prof to drink …
Thank you Gabriel. Though I do still tandem the intangibles …
Emphasis on the stamping.
Good signing and leaves just enough salary cap ($17.6M) to sign Seider and Raymond…will likely take every penny and/or a trade to ensure enough cap space is left
Minus the $900-$1.5m needed for Berggren resigning. He’ll cost more than entry level but probably not by much
Allowing for about $1m breather space for AHL callups/transactions and JB’s new deal they’ll have about 15.8m-16.4m for the “Big 2”, which *should* be enough, as long as at least one is of the 7 year variety and not a bridge deal