Schneider says good-bye; Rafalski says hello
Schneider says good-bye; Rafalski says hello
July 2, 2007
BY HELENE ST. JAMES
FREE PRESS SPORTS WRITER
Brian Rafalski's first call was to his dad, Harry, whom he tried to tell the news even as the screaming in the background reached a joyous crescendo.
The message was simple enough: Dad, I am coming home.
Rafalski, who grew up in Dearborn, became the newest Red Wings defenseman Sunday afternoon when general manager Ken Holland plucked him from the free agency market about an hour after losing defenseman Mathieu Schneider to Anaheim.
With his smart play and all-around soundness, Rafalski fits what the Wings sought.
"We think he's been a premier defenseman in the league for a number of years," Holland said. "He's a good skater, he's mobile; he can get the puck moved up. He can play in every situation -- power play, penalty kill, against other teams' best players. He's a very good player in every aspect of the game.
Not a superstar but a really good, sound, solid player."
Rafalski will be the No. 2 defenseman behind Nicklas Lidstrom, a role that Schneider felt he wasn't offered enough to retain.
"I can honestly say there was never really a decision to be made as far as negotiations," Schneider said. "I really enjoyed being a part of the Detroit organization, but there was never really a time I felt it was a tough decision to make. We just weren't on the same page."
Schneider's rejection prompted Holland to turn around and get into the sweepstakes for Rafalski, with the sides agreeing to a five-year deal worth $30 million.
"They've won in the past and have that experience," Rafalski said. "I hope I can add that much more to the team and bring them back to the Stanley Cup where they beong."
Rafalski's $6-million average, which places him third on the team payroll next season behind Lidstrom's $7.6 million and Pavel Datsyuk's $6.7 million, reduces the funds the Wings have left under the new $50.3-million cap to about $8 million, setting aside a cushion for emergencies. That means re-signing defenseman Danny Markov is out of the picture, so unless an inexpensive veteran blue-liner turns up, the Wings will start the season with Derek Meech or Kyle Quincey as depth defensemen.
The rest of the money is earmarked toward re-signing goaltender Dominik Hasek, which could get done any day, and the continued effort to re-sign forward Todd Bertuzzi. Holland said Bertuzzi isn't looking for a long-term deal, but even in the short term the Wings will look elsewhere for a scorer if Bertuzzi can't be had for around $2.5 million.
On Sunday, at least, they shored up their defense. Rafalski, who turns 34 in September, doesn't have Schneider's offensive gifts and is undersized at 5-foot-10. But like Lidstrom, Rafalski is a brainy player and is adept at quarterbacking power plays, something the Wings needed to address once Holland realized Schneider was a lost cause.
"I talked to Schneider's camp at 10 or 11 this morning," Holland said. "I made an offer; (agent) Mike Gilles asked me if I'd go to a certain range. I said I didn't think so."
The Ducks zeroed in on Schneider, 38, about an hour before the noon start of free agency, after general manager Brian Burke took a call from Ducks captain Scott Niedermayer. Niedermayer emphasized he might retire, and encouraged Burke to ameliorate the loss while possible.
"We immediately jumped into the game and were able to sign Mathieu Schneider," Burke said. "He's a quality player, a character person. He can shoot the puck; he can run a power play."
Schneider joined the Wings from Los Angeles at the trade deadline in 2003 and thrived, putting up career numbers in 2005-06. He bristled at times at the coaching style of Mike Babcock, but that did not factor into Schneider's decision to leave.
"Mike and I had a great meeting at the end of the season," he said. "We had been through ups and downs in our relationship, but we had an understanding by the end of the season, for sure, probably sooner. We developed a respect for each other. Nothing with Mike influenced my decision at all."
It came down, instead, to joining a team that is defending the Stanley Cup and is already considered a favorite to repeat, and a chance to settle near his off-season home in Manhattan Beach.
"I really couldn't ask for a better outcome," Schneider said. "I certainly see another Cup in the future for the Ducks. My biggest priority is to win the Stanley Cup again."
That's the same motivation that pointed Rafalski to Detroit.
Rafalski played all 82 games last season, producing eight goals and 47 assists, with a plus-four rating and a mere 34 penalty minutes. Since breaking into the NHL in 1999-2000, he has spent his entire career with New Jersey, accumulating 44 goals, 267 assists and 311 points in 541 games, with a plus-100 rating and 180 penalty minutes. He helped the Devils win the Stanley Cup in 2000 and 2003, and overall has 17 goals, 43 assists in 102 NHL playoff games, with a plus-22 rating and 37 penalty minutes. He plays in all situations, and will be especially valuable addition to the penalty-killing units, easing Lidstrom's minutes.
Rafalski played four years at Wisconsin (the same school that housed Wings defenseman Chris Chelios for two years and will host 2007 first-round pick Brandon Smith starting this autumn), but despite leading the Badgers to the NCAA title his senior year, he drew no interest from NHL teams and went undrafted.
That led to spending the next four seasons journeying around the Swedish and Finnish leagues before catching on with the Devils.
"I was able to improve my skills, New Jersey took notice, and I came over on a two-way contract," Rafalski said. "I was paired with Scott Stevens, and from there it was pretty easy."
Rafalski's evolution made him a coveted free agent, and he said he received offers from a handful of teams. When New Jersey wouldn't field numbers similar to those from the Wings, Rafalski's decision was easy, sort of. The only person it was tough selling it to was his 10-year-old son, Danny, who at first didn't want to leave his friends and soccer team in New Jersey, but was persuaded to cheer up at the prospect of getting to see a lot more of his grandparents.
"Coming home played a factor in my decision," Rafalski said. "We're very excited."