Wings' moves cut deep

[Rock]

Wings' moves cut deep

http://www.freep.com/sports/redwings/wings26e_20050726.htm

McCarty, Hatcher and Whitney waived

July 26, 2005

BY HELENE ST. JAMES

FREE PRESS SPORTS WRITER

The Red Wings have made the initial move to clear nearly $10 million worth of salary-cap space.

The team placed defenseman Derian Hatcher and forwards Darren McCarty and Ray Whitney on waivers Monday. If they remain unclaimed after 24 hours, the Wings can buy them out at two-thirds of their contract value.

Neither general manager Ken Holland nor assistant general manager Jim Nill returned calls Monday. But the message was clear enough: Something had to be done to trim the payroll in preparation for Aug. 1, when the NHL's new $39-million salary cap takes effect.

It would cost the Wings $3.31 million to buy out Hatcher, $1.78 million to buy out Whitney and $1.15 million to buy out McCarty. But the move will create about $9.31 million in cap room, which could be used on a goaltender and a couple of wingers.

Hatcher, McCarty and Whitney, all 33, became obvious cost-cutting moves as soon as the details of the league's new collective bargaining agreement became clear.

"I sort of saw it coming," McCarty said, "so it wasn't like it came out of leftfield. You've got to look at it as a challenge and an opportunity."

McCarty said he's hopeful at least one or two teams will be interested in signing him.

"That's all you hope for -- the opportunity to make a choice," he said.

Hatcher's signing on July 3, 2003, was heralded as the coming of a big, bruising defenseman, but he suffered a torn right anterior cruciate ligament three games into the 2003-04 season and missed 64 games. When he returned he never made the sort of impact the Wings were looking for, and his large salary -- $4.94 million is left on his contract -- was too much for the Wings to carry.

Hatcher did not return a phone call.

Whitney, signed two years ago in the wake of the free-agent departure of Sergei Fedorov, was supposed to be an offensive threat, but his lack of size hurt him on defense, and he struggled to establish himself on a top line.

With McCarty, the story is a little more complex. He has played his entire 11-year NHL career with the Wings and built a local legend in March 1997 when he pummeled Claude Lemieux in retaliation for Lemieux's hit the previous season on Kris Draper.

Three months later, on June 7, McCarty scored what stood up as the Stanley Cup-clinching goal in the finals against Philadelphia, securing Detroit's first NHL championship in 42 years.

But as the years wore on, McCarty's body betrayed the price of his fearless play, and he suffered injury after injury. In 2003-2004, he was limited to 43 games by back spasms.

While his Grind Line mates, Draper and Kirk Maltby, saw their minutes increase thanks to their performance as a penalty-killing tandem, McCarty's minutes dwindled, and he managed just 11 points in '03-04, the most recent NHL season.

The departure of McCarty and Whitney depletes the Wings' depth on the wing, but a remedy is right around the corner. Many other teams are cutting loose talented players, and when the free-agency signing season begins Aug. 1, the Wings will find a way to restock.

First, though, they'll figure out how much money they need to keep some of their own free agents, like Pavel Datsyuk, Henrik Zetterberg and Steve Yzerman.

COACHING UPDATES: The Wings are expected to announce assistant coaches today. New head coach Mike Babcock has interviewed four people to fill two positions: Barry Smith, an associate coach to former head coaches Dave Lewis and Scotty Bowman; Joe Kocur, an assistant to Lewis and Bowman; and Babcock's assistants at Anaheim, Lorne Henning and Paul MacLean, a former Red Wings player. ... Lewis, relieved of head coaching duties earlier this month, is mulling a scouting position with the team.

NOTEBOOK: The NHL will release its 2005-2006 schedule at noon Wednesday. The Wings already know they will play each division rival eight times and won't play Toronto, Montreal, Boston, Ottawa and Buffalo.

[BlueSkirt]

Wow, no Wings games against TOR, MON, and BOS.

[HellOnICE]

I'd take McCarty for a million.

[Don]

I'd take McCarty for a million.

Who is someone who's never been in my kitchen?

[sleepy steve]

Hell, at 1 mill, I'd say just cut Oliwa (.83) and take on McCarty. That's a deal and half.

[Darwindog]

hmmeh... you're signing on a substance abuse problem as well though remember. Turner Stevenson avec alcholism and a side helping of glory days stories.

Maybe I'm being unfair - but I'm not sure...

[MantaRay]

The more I hear about this new schedule, the more I dislike it.

How could original six teams NOT play each other??

[HellOnICE]

Manta it's not a perfect word. More intradivision games were neccesary, but to cut games from the other divisions in the conference would suck too...The nature of the beast.