Mostly, the response has been what you’d expect when a respected player around the league shares the news he’s done playing. Red Wings captain Henrik Zetterberg made it official on Friday and the outpouring of support followed. Sidney Crosby paid his respects. Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane did too.



Fellow Swede Henrik Lundqvist tweeted out his support, calling it a privilege to play against and win with his countrymate.



Still, among the accolades, an undercurrent of skepticism also existed from fans curious about the timing.



Zetterberg is the latest player signed to a long-term contract in the previous CBA who is ending his career early, just at the time the actual salary being paid takes a dive. Zetterberg has a cap hit over $6 million but an actual salary of $3.35 million this season. The final two years on his contract have an actual salary of $1 million. There’s a compelling case to be made that those extra years existed only to drive...