Winners
I was [an idiot] who saw Zach Parise and Ryan Suter pass on signing with the Red Wings and read that as a sign Detroit was no longer one of the premier destinations for NHL free agents. Daniel Alfredsson proved otherwise on Friday. When he made his decision to leave the Senators, he could have quickly found a home in Boston, a team that will no doubt contend for a Stanley Cup next season. But after consulting with Henrik Zetterberg, the veteran Swede decided his best shot at finally winning a Cup was in Detroit. “I just really like the way Detroit plays hockey. It’s the puck possession game. It’s the push-the-pace game,” he said during a Friday conference call. “I know quite a few of the guys from before. I know the personalities. I know how they play and the culture of Detroit appealed to me.”
And the respect around the league the Red Wings still receive was clear in the voice of Stephen Weiss, who referred to Mr. Babcock and Mr. Holland while calling his decision to pick the Red Wings an easy one. Weiss was arguably the best center available on the market and the Red Wings signed him for a reasonable five-year deal worth $4.9 million. He’ll replace Valtteri Filppula, who got a slightly larger deal to sign with the Tampa Bay Lightning despite rarely producing at the same offensive level Weiss had during his time in Florida. Weiss has six seasons where he has registered more than 40 points. Filppula has done that just once.
“I’m thrilled to be given an opportunity to come to this team,” he said. “I’m going to do everything in my power to help out.”
via 2013 NHL offseason – Detroit Red Wings lead early free agency Day 1 winners, losers – ESPN.
The Wings also signed Calder Cup Champion and Wolverine Luke Glendening.
Detroit Red Wings sign minor league prospect Luke Glendening to one-year contract | MLive.com.