As the NHL free agency period approached, the question was, what would Steve Yzerman do in his first season as GM of the Detroit Red Wings?
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Well, we now have our answer as the Red Wings agreed to terms with a trio of players including D Patrik Nemeth, G Calvin Pickard, and F Valtteri Filppula.
On Monday afternoon, Yzerman met with the media and explained why he did what he did.
From Detroit Free Press:
“We were looking at doing shorter term deals with everyone we spoke with,” Yzerman said. “Being new to the organization, I wanted to proceed somewhat slowly and kind of get to know what we have within the organization. I think I have a good handle on the NHL team, but the kids, the prospects we have coming, the players we have in Grand Rapids, I want to balance the flexibility of providing opportunity for our young players, but also try to help the Detroit Red Wings immediately as much as possible.
“The shorter term deals made the most sense for us at this stage, hence we signed three players on two-year contracts. They are all designed to help us immediately, but our hands aren’t necessarily tied to long-term contracts.”
In my opinion, Yzerman’s moves made it pretty clear that he is not planning on contending for a Stanley Cup anytime soon, which is probably pretty wise.
