Detroit Extends Jakub Kindl
The Red Wings didn’t bother letting Jakub Kindl get to restricted free agency, signing the top blueline prospect to a 3-year, $2.65M extension.
At the NHL level – where Kindl WILL be playing by the 2010-2011 season – his new deal will earn him $750,000 the first year, $850,000 the second, and $1.05M the third. The cap hit for the duration is $883,333. He will remain a restricted free agent upon the contract’s expiration in 2013.
This is an early report, so I haven’t heard any other relevant details yet, but it’s safe to assume that these three years are One-Way, meaning that even if Kindl is demoted to Grand Rapids (unlikely), he’ll still be paid these figures.
This is very clearly a wise signing by the Wings. Many prospect outlets have Kindl listed as the top Wings prospect at any position, and we all know the Wings blueline-centric philosophy. Kindl has yet to get into a regular season game with the Wings (thanks to the surplus of defenseman the last few years), but has made a habit of being one of the final players cut from training camp.
Expect him to be the top call-up for the big squad in 2009-2010.
I don't know what 'prospect outlets' you have been looking at, but Kindl's last two seasons in Grand Rapids have been defensive nightmares. He is a wizard at finding new ways to turn the puck over and has been inconsistent offensively too. He needs to show that he can commit defensively before he even gets a chance in Detroit. There is no question about his offensive upside, but given he would start in Detroit on the third D-pairing, he needs to find a sound defensive game and cut down on the turnovers.
I was referring to Hockey's Future (perhaps you've heard of it), which has Kindl ranked #1.
And yes, his +/- was vicious the last two seasons, but has seen marked improvement from 07-08.
I agree wholeheartedly that he needs to find his defensive game, considering he'll begin on the third pairing – but I'm confident that if Brett Lebda can do it, Jakub Kindl can do it.
I'm a Kindl supporter — I've seen him in games where he's downright terrible, but I like what I see when he minimizes his mistakes.
I think his skillset is going to allow him to flourish on Detroit. There are more two-way forwards and a bunch of defenseman that will cover for him while he works out the kinks.
I disagree that he was a defensive nightmare last season. That was mainly just the second half of the season as he lost confidence. Let's not forget that he was an AHL All-Star the first half, and at the time, his +/- was actually in the green. His game went to hell after that, which is unacceptable, but it shows that he can succeed in the AHL.