Wings not out of Brunnstrom running
Thanks to the timely firing of Vancouver Canucks GM Dave Nonis, the Detroit Red Wings are back in the running for Swedish player Fabian Brunnstrom. GM Ken Holland has heard that he is reconsidering his decision right now.
If I had to take a guess, I’d still say he’ll sign with Vancouver because they can give him the playing time he wants. According to Helene St. James at the Detroit Free Press, the Wings promised him a month on the roster but he would have to earn a spot after that. Nonis had told Brunnstrom that he would play with the Canucks all season. As we saw with Igor Grigorenko at the start of this season, Detroit does not guarantee season-long play. Players have to earn it with our team and that seems to be the big difference between the two clubs.
What Vancouver has that Detroit doesn’t is simple: total and utter desperation.
For Brunnstrom, that desperation—more than anything else—presents a big opportunity to make a name for himself.
If the process of hiring a new GM becomes a lengthy one, I’d say that would give Detroit the best shot at winning the 23-year-old unrestricted free agent who went undrafted. It certainly would be a huge pick-up for the Wings if they could snag Brunnstrom because of the firing of Nonis. Money isn’t an issue because each team can only offer him the maximum entry-level contract salary with bonuses so it’s truly a matter of which team would be the best fit for him.
The Wings have pursued Brunnstrom, whose hype has reached the point he’s considered the second coming of Sidney Crosby, with an all-out campaign, even having their captain, Nicklas Lidstrom, call Brunnstrom to entice him to Detroit. Brunnstrom has told the Wings they are his favorite team; understandably so, with a roster that includes seven Swedish NHL regulars.
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One Response to “Wings not out of Brunnstrom running”
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April 15th, 2008 at 9:13 pm
the red wings are sitting pretty and playing hard!