There's only so much dead cap space you can put on LTIR and there are certain drawbacks to choosing that method.
When last we wrote about the Red Wings' long-term contracts, we discussed the buyout punishment and also the potential Cap Recapture ramifications of the early retirements of Henrik Zetterberg, Niklas Kronwall, or Johan Franzen. One of the obvious questions which came out of that discussion was why should we bother even worrying about Johan Franzen's Cap Recapture penalty, knowing that Franzen is going to spend the rest of his career on Long Term Injured Reserve to open up both cap and roster space for the Red Wings in his absence.