Maltby Decides To Stay, Signs For One Year

Kirk Maltby really likes cupcakes. He apparently also really likes the Detroit Red Wings, as the forward signed a one-year, two-way deal with the team today. There were a lot of questions as to whether or not the 37-year-old would re-sign with the team, or if the team would even want him. The deal, however, was set in stone Wednesday.

Barring injury or somebody really, really sucking, it appears Maltby will spend the majority of his season in Grand Rapids. His contract is worth $525,000 if he plays in Detroit and $105,000 if he plays with the Griffins. Maltby, to his credit, is doing his best to take it all in stride.

“I think any player in the league, whether it’s a 15-year veteran or a two-year veteran or a rookie, everyone would love to have a one-way,” Maltby said. “But it’s the nature of the beast; it’s a business as much as it’s a sport, and the Wings are no exception.”

As little as he has done over the course of the past couple of seasons and as seemingly insignificant he’s going to be for the Wings this year, this still kind of makes me happy. Maltby is one of the Wings I grew up with and it’s comforting to know he’s still around. He has created some great memories within the organization and it’s nice the Wings’ front office did their part in creating something that worked.

If nothing else, he will surely be a great mentor and leader for the younger players in Grand Rapids. I don’t think that can be underestimated. So, here’s to Kirk Maltby for continuing to push forward and here’s to the Wings for giving him a shot.

Abdelkader Signs For Two Years

The final piece of the puzzle is now in place. Justin Abdelkader, the Wings final restricted free agent, signed a two-year deal today worth $750,000 for the upcoming season and $825,000 for next season.

If the Wings stay healthy, Abdelakder will be competing for ice time on the team’s fourth line with fellow forwards Darren Helm, Patrick Eaves, Kris Draper, Drew Miller and Mattias Ritola. One of them is expected to be moved before the start of the season to dump salary.

The Abdelkader signing completes the off-season for the Wings, who are set to begin training camp in Traverse City September 18th.

Red Wings Week In Review

I lose my computer for a week and the Wings have their busiest week of the off-season. It figures. Here’s what we missed:

Mike Modano Is A Red Wing

Anyway, I’m really excited about this. I’ve always been a fan of Modano’s and I really think coming to Detroit provides an opportunity for him to rejuvenate himself. What this means for Justin Abdelkader and Darren Helm remains to be seen, but if nothing else it will force them to work even harder to earn ice time as the fourth-line center.

Modano is back in is hometown with a legitimate shot at a Stanley Cup. In every picture or interview I’ve seen with him this week, he’s been positively beaming. You can tell he’s incredibly excited to be in Detroit. The feeling’s mutual, Mike.

Wings Sign Ruslan Salei To One-Year Deal

The Wings’ defensive picture got a lot clearer this week with the signing of veteran defenseman Ruslan Salei to a one-year contract worth $750,000 plus $350,000 in bonuses. Salei will likely fill in the third defensive pair with Jonathan Ericsson. The 35-year-old has played 842 games in the NHL, racking up 194 points and 1,017 penalty minutes. He played in only 14 games last season due to a back injury, but Salei says he is fully healthy.

Mike Babcock coached Salei in Anaheim for two years and was reportedly a large reason the defenseman chose to come to Detroit. Salei’s signing means the end of the road for Andreas Lilja, who was looking for more money than Salei. The human pylon won’t necessarily be missed on the ice, but he always seemed like a really nice guy, so I hope he can find a home elsewhere.

Fun fact about Ruslan Salei: In October of 2009, he was suspended for 10 games by the NHL for cross-checking Mike Modano from behind, leaving Modano with a slight concussion, strained ligaments and a broken neck. Good times!

Chris Chelios Joins The Wings’ Front Office

With his playing career over and both of his sons playing  at Michigan State, Chris Chelios has entered into the next phase of his of his hockey career.

“I don’t have a title for him, but he’s going to do a little player development,” general manager Ken Holland said. “After ’09 when I told him we weren’t going to re-sign him, I told him to keep in touch. He called me in May and told me he was going to take me up on my offer.”

Having a guy like Chelios around can only mean good things for the organization. With Stevie Y gone, he fills in the respected mostly veteran void.

Wings Still Interested In Maltby

With new deals for almost all of the Wings’ free agents and the signings of Mike Modano and Ruslan Salei, it seemed like Kirk Maltby had been forgotten. Not the case, however, says Ken Holland.

“He’s not out of the picture,” Holland said Tuesday. “We think he’s still got some hockey left in him, but it has to be a deal that makes sense for both sides. We’re talking.”

Simply, Maltby would have to sign a two-way contract that would see him spend a lot of time in the minors, which is clearly not ideal for a veteran of his status. With the wealth of forwards the Wings are carrying into camp, it would take some sort of injury for Maltby to earn consistent playing time. Whether or not Maltby would be interested in such a deal remains to be seen.

It’s kind of a strange end to a career that has seen Maltby win 4 Cups in Detroit, but the fact is that he isn’t even close to the player he used to be. Still, I hope something can get worked out that satisfies both parties. He’s done too much just to be discarded.

Wings Set To Introduce Modano Friday

I’ve been out of commission without a computer for the past week (which has been terrible), but I’m hijacking a computer to update the news that Mike Modano will officially be introduced as a Detroit Red Wing on Friday. The contract is believed to be for one-year and worth an estimated $1.25 million.

More updates to come as the news officially breaks and technology decides to be my friend again.

Wings Sign Derek Meech To One-Year Deal

The Red Wings announced today that they have signed defenseman Derek Meech to a one-year, $500,000 deal. He will compete for the team’s sixth defensive spot during training camp and the pre-season, but with the Wings’ crowded roster it is likely he will be traded before the season begins.

With the top 5 defensemen locked down, the fate of Andreas Lilja still up in the air and the incoming talents of guys like Jakub Kindl, it appears Meech is likely on the way out.

Wings’ Free Agency Round-Up

I’ve been offline for a week. Here’s what the Wings have been up to.

Drew Miller will be doing things like this for at least another year for the Red Wings. The forward signed a one-year deal worth $650,00 early last week. There was debate that, in the wake of all the Modano talk, Miller might be pushed to the back burner. For the time being, he’s got a spot. The deal looks to be a great one for Detroit. I’ve long thought Miller has an enormous upside and securing him for $650K may prove to be a very wise investment.

Not to be outdone, Patrick Eaves signed a one-year deal of his own the following day, his worth $750,000. Eaves was a great addition last year and this is another deal that looks to be a steal for the Wings. Locking down both Miller and Eaves for a combined $1.35 million is as good as anybody could have imagined or hoped for. It looks like more magic from Ken Holland.

The Mike Modano picture is no clearer than it was a week ago. In fact, it’s probably more cloudy in the wake of the forward reportedly being offered deals by Anaheim, San Jose and Minnesota. Modano said earlier in the week that the only team he would be willing to play for was the Red Wings, but the other teams in question are surely able to give him more money than Detroit. He met with Mike Babcock, Ken Holland and Mike Ilitch at a Tigers game last week and it’s still my opinion that Modano will either play with the Wings or retire, but the twists do keep coming.

Holland has said he’d be well in favor of Modano joining the team, but all he can do is sit back and wait at this point.

“We made an offer, we made our pitch. But this being a cap world, we’ve made lots of commitments. We don’t have a lot of wiggle room. We would love to have Mike join us, but we only have a certain amount to spend.”

Stay tuned.

For Old Time’s Sake

There Will Never Be Another Bob Probert

Bob Probert was only 45 years old when he died yesterday after collapsing on his family’s boat on Lake Saint Clair in Ontario, but he fit more hardship and redemption into those years to fill years far beyond. He was stubborn and reckless, but those who knew him best always spoke to his softer side. He was a devoted father and family man, always eager to beat the alcohol and drug addictions that were such a burden on his life. He represented a type of athlete that doesn’t really exist anymore, and more specifically a type of hockey player that certainly doesn’t.

Probert left the Wings when I was six years old, so I missed out on his heyday. His legacy has lived on, though, as he’s become somewhat of a folk hero in Detroit. He was from Windsor, he represented the work ethic that defines the city and his struggles off the ice humanized him in a way that made him identifiable, for better or worse. You often hear people say that the Wings need to find an enforcer, they need to “get themselves a Bob Probert.” The simple fact is that Bob Proberts aren’t around anymore. He did the dirty work, he was the first one to protect the goalie, he was the guy to start a fight when his team was down 2-0 in the second period, he was the under-appreciated superstar.

When I was a kid, my dad had the chance to visit the Wings locker room after a game. He went up to Probert who, after getting into a fight that night had his hands all bloodied, signed an autograph for me on one of my dad’s business cards. It’s a keepsake that I still l have to this day and it’s something I’ll cherish even more now.

R.I.P. #24

I Like Mike (As A Red Wing)

With the news that the Dallas Stars will not be offering a contract to Mike Modano next season, the 40-year-old future Hall of Famer is without a home. After 22 years with the same franchise, Modano needs to decide whether he wants to retire or join a new team. He’s old, he’s past his prime and he’s not even sure he wants to play anymore…but I’ll be damned if I don’t think he’s a perfect fit for the Red Wings.

If you’re Modano, where else would you want to be? He’s from Livonia, he has a frickin’ hockey rink named after him in Westland and he’d be joining a team that would be an automatic contender with or without him. The Wings have a history of doing this (i.e. Luc Robitaille and Brett Hull) and it’s worked out pretty well if I recall correctly. There isn’t a better fit for him.

There are a couple of things getting in the way. First of all, the financials make absolutely no sense. Modano is coming off a five-year contract worth $19.2 million, so “pay cut” isn’t enough to describe what he’d have to take. He’d likely have to sign for something around $1 million or below. Secondly, Modano has indicated that he’s not interested in being a depth player.

“That was not my thing,” Modano said. “I think the previous two or three years, I was kind of accepting it. I enjoyed being with Stu Barnes or whoever, we had a good time doing what we were asked to do. But it wears on you.”

Here’s the thing. If you’re Mike Modano, you don’t need anymore money. Why not swallow some pride and come to that realization? There is no shame in being a strong leader on a third or fourth line when you’re FORTY YEARS OLD. To me, it seems like a perfectly ideal situation, one that both the Wings and Modano have to consider.

I think Modano has something left in the tank. More importantly, now I think he has something to prove. What better place to live out the twilight of your career than on a Stanley Cup-contending team in your hometown?

Give the fairy tale a chance.

106 Days and Counting…

Ah, the day the schedule is released. The moment next season transforms from some abstract dream into something tangible. The process of figuring out what our lives are going to look like from October to April is always exciting. Let’s analyze, shall we?

Home opener – Friday, October 8th vs. Anaheim
This already feels like less of a rivalry than it did a year ago. Without Scott Neidermayer and Teemu Selanne’s future up in the air, this will be a different looking Ducks team, one that is coming off a disappointing year in which they didn’t make the playoffs. None of that really matters, though. I’d be excited to watch the Wings play my cousin’s pee-wee girls’ team.

Banner-raising in Chicago – Saturday, October 9th at Chicago
Who didn’t see this coming? The league wants to keep this Blackhawks lovefest going and what better way to kick it off than by welcoming in the hated Red Wings? I’m already looking forward to ruining the night.

Six-game homestand – Monday, November 8th thru Sunday, November 21st
It always seems like the scheduling gods take a collective dump on the Wings any chance they get, so seeing that they were handed six straight games at home in the middle of November was a nice surprise. All six games are against middle-of-the-road Western Conference teams. A nice chance to make a move in the standings?!?! I’m ready to start thinking about these things again.

1st chance for revenge – Tuesday, November 30th at San Jose
The Wings will meet the Sharks for the first time, looking for some redemption after last season’s playoff exit.

Original Six overload
This is awesome and exactly how it should be. Beginning with a December 10th match-up against Montreal, the Wings will welcome each Original Six team into The Joe throughout the season, including a home-and-home with Boston on February 11th and 13th. The NHL has been improving the schedule every season and this is another example of that. Remember the days when the Wings would play each Central Division team 8 times and playing a team like the Bruins or the Rangers seemed like a crazy pipe dream? It’s a reality now, and we should applaud that.

New Year’s Eve – Friday, December 31st vs. New York Islanders
The Islanders? Really? I guess I shouldn’t complain about playing a team from the East, but…the Islanders?

Penguins Double Take – Tuesday, January 18th at Pittsburgh; Monday, March 21st vs. Pittsburgh
I really like that we still play Pittsburgh twice. There’s still a lot of animosity between the two teams, especially after Jimmy Howard went all commando on Sidney Crosby last season. I’m looking forward to more of that.

Stevie Y and the Lightning – Thursday, February 17th at Tampa Bay
The Wings will be in Tampa Bay to take on the Lightning, led by new GM Steve Yzerman. It will be really weird to see #19 on the opposite side of things. The real moment, though, will likely come next season when the Bolts visit The Joe for the first time since Yzerman’s departure.

Ovie invades The Joe – Wednesday, March 16th vs. Washington
Alex Ovechkin and the Washington Capitals will be in Detroit for the second consecutive season.

Home-and-home season finale – Friday, April 8th vs. Chicago; Sunday, April 10th at Chicago
In what’s becoming a bit of a trend, the Wings will finish off their regular season against Chicago. It’s going to be interesting to see becomes of this Blackhawks team as their salary cap explodes. Here’s hoping the United Center acts as a final stage for a season in which the Wings steal back the Central Division.

106 days until all the fun starts.