DETROIT, Michigan -- Detroit Red Wings general manager Ken Holland told reporters on Monday that he thought restricted free agent Pavel Datsyuk would return to the team by the end of the week.
"I think he's coming back to Detroit, unless I get a major curveball," Holland said before the Red Wings' preseason opener against the Tampa Bay Lightning. "My expectation is that he's coming back by the weekend."
Datsyuk signed with Russian team Avangard Omsk on September 5 but his 2004-05 team, Dynamo Moscow, later matched the deal. A Tuesday hearing to decide which of the Russian teams holds his rights is expected to favor Dynamo, for whom Datsyuk reportedly does not want to play.
Holland has not spoken to Datsyuk directly since he signed the Russian contract. He has, however, been in contact with Gary Greenstin, Datsyuk's agent.
The kid is talented as hell, but he's frikkin' nuts if he thinks he's going to get as much as Thornton. Reportedly he's already been offered more than Heatley got, so I don't know why he's bringing that name in.
Ken Holland's not an idiot, he's not going to throw that money at him in a capped league, Wings fans will just have to hope no team with cap room to spare will decide to poach him (and continue to screw up the league's salary structure).
I agree with you. I would hate to see the Wings lose him. He is a big key to the future. But if wants to be stupid, let him be it somewhere else.
The Freep gives us interesting reading this morning, as Drew Sharp tries to tell everyone that this is okay (he's as nuts as Dats is) and Helene St. James confirms that there is no out clause in the Russian contract.
"Right now, I'm operating under the assumption Pavel will be in Russia the entire season." - Ken Holland
Hooray. 
Now Pavs needs another week to decide. My guess is that something weird is going on either between him and his agent or his agent and Holland. I keep thinking that if he wanted to play in Russia, he'd be playing already, so maybe he's being told to hold out while Greenstin screws around with Holland.
I read on one of the rumor sites out there that he had signed with a different team then the one he had played on last season, and that the original team thought they had the right to match the offer, and that he didn't want to play for them so if that was the options he'd rather be in Detroit. But I later read that the original team failed to file before the deadline earlier this year and that they had lost the right to match. But like I said it was on a rumor site.
His agent is the crazy one. He shouldn't mess with Holland. It isn't smart.
Looks like Datsyuk might be figuring out that it's best for him to come back to the NHL. With Russian teams fighting over him and possibly forcing him to play where he doesn't want to, Detroit doesn't look so bad.
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