Wings re-sign Brad Stuart for 4 years
I open up TSN’s website at the start of my lunch break to see that the Red Wings re-signed Brad Stuart - woohoo! Yes, I’m excited about the possibilities for a certain big name forward commiting to a one-year contract. But in terms of re-signing the team’s unrestricted free agents, Brad Stuart was my biggest concern. The top four defensemen in Lidstrom, Rafalski, Kronwall, and Stuart were unbelievable in the playoffs and I can only imagine how well Kronner and Stuart will play together after an entire regular season getting to know each other’s style of play.
GM Ken Holland re-signed Brad Stuart to a four year contract averaging $3.75 million per year. The price is definitely above what Holland was looking to sign, but I think Holland believes that the Wings are in good shape when it comes to the 2009-2010 salary cap so he could reward Stuart after a great postseason.
“They were pretty sure he could get $4 to $4.5 million,” said Holland. “We paid a little bit more than we wanted to and he took a little bit less than he wanted to. But all deals made a compromises. He’s got a home now.”
“We’re obviously done on defense,” added Holland. “We’re still looking for a back-up goalie. If we can find a forward on a short-term deal to fill out our needs, great. But will that be this week or later in the summer, who knows.”
According to Bruce, the Wings have Kronner, Stuart, and Rafalski on contract for the next four years. Lidstrom has two more seasons on his contract. If Holland can extend his contract for another year or two, the Wings will have their top two defensive pairings all set for a nice chunk of time. I like it.
Obviously, there are a couple improvements I’d like to see in the line-up, but Wings fans really can’t be too bummed if the roster stays the same for the most part. We still have a great blend of youth with veteran experience and I can’t wait for next season to start!
Quick notes on Rolston & Sundin
Brian Rolston told Tampa Bay that he wanted to entertain other offers so he is still a possibility for Detroit. However with the Zetterberg and Franzen contracts up next season, I don’t see Holland paying the big bucks to Rolston and possibly tying up too much in the future salary cap. Rolston is rumored to be hoping for a Detroit offer because he grew up in Flint, MI and knows that that there are some great youth hockey programs in the area for his six-year old son.
I agree with Bruce that I think the Wings are more likely to sign player like Mats Sundin, who the Wings may be able to get for a one-year deal and would then have no impact on next year’s cap, over a Rolston-type player.
Update: Family played a role in factoring who Stuart signed with this year.
“It’s been a tough couple of years from having a family and having to move around a bit, spending a lot of time a part,” Stuart said. “To be able to stick in Detroit for four years, I’m real happy about that. It’s not just about you anymore. It’s about the family and some times you have to make sacrifices to make everyone happy.”
Stuart’s family priorities changed on April 24 when his son, Logan Michael, was born in San Jose. Stuart was excused that day from playing in Game 1 of the Western Conference semifinals against the Avalanche.
Another key reason to stay for Stewie was his chemistry with defensive partner Niklas Kronwall.
Another reason that Stuart said that he wanted to return to the Wings was the partnership he had built with Kronwall. As the Wings’ No. 2 defensive unit behind Nicklas Lidstrom and Brian Rafalski, the pairing of Stuart and Kronwall made a measurable dent in opposing offenses.
“It was a pretty big factor. I really enjoy playing with him,” Stuart said of Kronwall. “We seem to have a pretty good chemistry. That’s not always easy to find, so that was pretty important to get a chance to continue that. I’m excited to get going next year.”
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July 1st, 2008 at 7:11 pm
[…] 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 […]