Lucas Raymond discusses contract negotiations after signing 8-year deal

Lucas Raymond doesn’t have much time to celebrate, as training camp begins in a few days, but he knows the importance of his new eight-year, $64.6 million contract.

The 22-year-old winger signed just days before the Red Wings’ training camp opens in Traverse City and said he’s celebrating with his family and friends before heading to Michigan to begin his fourth professional season. With such a long-term deal, Raymond is excited to be a part of Detroit’s long-term future.

“I’m glad we got it done before training camp,” Raymond said Tuesday. “I mean, you always wanted to get it done as quickly as possible. But that’s the way it goes. That’s the way it goes in business. And like I said, I’m just really glad we got it done.”

It was never really a question that Detroit would sign Raymond. With his RFA rights and neither side wanting to jeopardize his season, Detroit was always going to sign Raymond. It was just a matter of when.

(Read more: How Lucas Raymond’s contract compares to other young NHL stars)

At first glance, such a long wait would seem to instill some anxiety in most players’ summer training, but Raymond compartmentalized it. He took an optimistic approach to the extra time the negotiations gave him to work with his own trainers and coaches. Part of that plan involved training in Germany with Moritz Seider — his friend and fellow Red Wings player who got his own contract extension — and the coaches at Adler Mannheim, as well as his own personal skills coach, Andreas Larsson of HockeyPT.

“It was definitely a little different — just the uncertainty of everything and when it was going to get done,” Raymond explained. “And also just planning the summer with my coaches and being on the ice and stuff like that. I feel like we came up with a good plan to treat it like a normal summer.”

Meanwhile, Raymond left the specifics of the negotiations to his agents, JP Barry and Matt Williams of CAA. Barry is the third-most valuable NHL agent in terms of contract value and is known for getting his clients the deals they want. As a newcomer to the game of contract negotiations, it made it easier for Raymond to enter negotiations without too much worry, because he had two experts to turn to. That’s why top players get top agents.

“It was all new to me, right?” Raymond said. “I’ve never been in that type of situation before. So it was a lot of new stuff. And I think the biggest thing for me from the beginning was that I wanted a long-term relationship, I think I’ve been pretty public about that, how much I love Detroit, how much I love the city, the team and the direction we’re going. So that was definitely a big thing for me, and I’m really happy that we were able to make it happen.”

But even with a plan and representation in the top flight, there was still stress from the negotiations. Raymond joked about his screen time this summer, keeping up with the league developments and making many phone calls during the process.

Raymond isn’t the only one excited about his contract being signed. General manager Steve Yzerman expects Raymond to earn his extension as he continues to grow as a hockey player.

“I think with all these long-term deals with younger players, there’s a little bit of projection,” Yzerman said Tuesday. “There’s an expectation that the player will take his game to the next level, and that goes on both sides. And I have every confidence that Lucas will do that.”

(Read more: 5 Insights from Steve Yzerman’s Pre-Training Camp Availability)

Ultimately, Raymond got his contract done and got his wish. He will be a Red Wing for the foreseeable future, as he is signed until age 30, during most of his prime.

“It’s a strange feeling, for sure, but it’s also a very exciting feeling,” Raymond said of being signed for such a long term. “I think I’ve been clear from the beginning, when I think about Detroit, I’m extremely excited and obviously very honored to be a Red Wing for at least eight more years.”

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