Reviewing the first day of free agency
I’m going to quickly highlight the signings that most impact the Wings or that were simply big signings. Before I get to that, be sure to check out my posts on the Wings re-signing of defenseman Brad Stuart and the signing of back-up goaltender Ty Conklin. I will update this post later tonight with anymore relevant news and signings.
Wings fans can take Brian Rolston off their wish list as he has just signed a four-year, $20 million contract with the New Jersey Devils. As I suggested earlier today, the other offers were just too high for Detroit to match. It had been rumored that Rolston was hoping to receive an offer from the Wings, but I’m guessing that his desire to play for his hometown team wasn’t as great as his desire to make some money in what may be his last contract before retiring.
While Mats Sundin and Marian Hossa haven’t signed with a team yet, you probably also want to cross them off that list.
The Wings wanted Sundin, but can’t compete with some of the offers he’s apparently getting. Vancouver reportedly offered two years at $20 million. About the only way Sundin could wind up in Detroit is if his main motivation is going to a team that would give him his best chance to win his first Stanley Cup, and not so much a huge contract. Maybe there’s still a chance, but the fact that he appears in no rush to make up his mind might indicate he doesn’t want to come to Detroit.
The Wings were only interested in Brian Rolston if he was willing to accept a one-year deal. His former team, New Jersey, inked the 35-year-old to a huge four-year, $20 million pact. And the Wings don’t have anywhere close to the cap space to bring in Marian Hossa.
The Vancouver Canucks have reportedly offered a ridiculous contract to Sundin for two-years at $20 million. Craziness!
I still think the Wings have a solid shot at Sundin because we are only offering a one-year deal and an amazing shot at winning the Cup. If I was a player who had made a ton of money in my career and just wanted to win the Cup (while being fairly compensated), I would sign with the team full of my fellow Swedes, the Detroit Red Wings. But maybe I’m a little biased…
The Chicago Blackhawks have signed the top available defenseman Brian Campbell to an eight-year deal worth $7.1 million each year. I expected the Blackhawks to make a big signing today with the positive shift in their overall business practices this year, but I honestly thought it would be Marian Hossa. That’s no longer a possibility under the cap, but Campbell certainly is a solid pick-up for the young team that needed some strong veteran presence on the blueline. I don’t know if I’d agree with the salary they are throwing at him, but he’s certainly a nice addition to their roster. They also signed Cristobal Huet, who was arguably the top available starting goaltender this summer, to a four-year deal that averages $5.635 million a year.
As Pat at AOL FanHouse states, the first day of free agency has primarily been a shuffle of goaltenders. He has the round-up of all of the goalie moves here.
Other Wings news
The Wings are more likely to sign a lower tier forward like a Todd Bertuzzi. I don’t know if I’d be sold on that signing, but we’ll see if Ken Holland has anyone else in mind.
Regarding Bertuzzi, whom the Wings traded for in February of 2007 and tried to re-sign last summer, Holland said he would “stay in touch” with Bertuzzi’s agent. “I was happy with the job he did here,” Holland said of Bertuzzi. “We’re exploring.”
According to Bruce MacLeod, the Wings aren’t too concerned that another team will make an offer to restricted free agent Valtteri Filppula.
I asked Holland that and he said he’s not worried about another offer. He said that opponents do that to teams that have little or no cap space. The Wings have a lot. And if another team did offer Filppula a lot, the Wings will match. Where a big offer could mess up the Red Wings is next season, fitting both Filppula and Zetterberg in under the cap.
Update - Wednesday:
Scott Burnside at ESPN.com grades the first day of free agency and here’s what he had to say about the Conklin signing:
Ty Conklin set the gold standard for backups this past season in Pittsburgh, where he came on in relief for starter Marc-Andre Fleury, who went down with a high ankle sprain. Some wondered if the Penguins would free-fall out of the playoffs; but even without Sidney Crosby in the lineup for a long period of time, Conklin not only held the Pens in the playoff race, but he also helped them to the second seed in the East. His demeanor will fit perfectly with laid-back Chris Osgood, who recaptured the starter’s role in Detroit and led the Wings to the Stanley Cup. Watch for Conklin to post excellent numbers again next season in a supporting role. He’s a bargain at $750,000.
Free-agency grade: A
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