NHL Free Agency

It is nearly two weeks into 2011's free agency period, and it has been quite the series of events.

Although, being a Red Wings fan, I have to say that I am underwhelmed by their lack of participation in free agency.  One of their best puck moving defensemen, Brian Rafalski, was forced to retire this offseason due to irreversible knee damage done over the course of his career.  Detroit also chose to let veteran D-man Ruslan Salei test the free agency waters.  They have brought in Ian White and Mike Commodore as their replacements.  These moves could be beneficial, but right now the Wings depth at D does not look very good.  Luckily, captain Nick Lidstrom is returning for another kick at the can, or else their defense would be in a dire situation.

For their forwards, they brought back Patrick Eaves and Drew Miller at affordable prices to cement their 4th line.  Modano and Draper remain free agents and will in all likelihood not be brought back.  Chances are winger Jan Mursak will make the team next year and center Cory Emmerton will push for the last roster spot.

In goal, Jimmy Howard remains the starter and Joey MacDonald has been brought back on a 2 year, 2 way contract (for the first year of his contract), so another goalie may be in the mix. Bringing Osgood back is a possibility, but due to his age and health concerns, General Manager Ken Holland may look in another direction. Holland is rumored to have been kicking the tires on goaltenders Ty Conklin (former Wing) and Ray Emery.  Both are realistic scenarios, so the fans will have to stay tuned to see how that situations turns out.

Right now, the Wings have nearly 6.5 million dollars in cap space, meaning they could sign a few more players.  Although this is a possibility, I do not foresee anyone other than a goalie being signed before the start of the season.  I believe management will save the space for a trade deadline acquistion.  Veteran Shane Doan is on the last year of his contract, and could add some spark to the Wings top 6.  Although he has a No Movement Clause in his contract, I believe the Coyotes will look to him to waive it so that they could add some younger pieces in their rebuilding process.  Whether Doan wants to leave the Desert or not is the question, as he is the last remaining original Jet.  If he does decide to waive his NMC, I believe Detroit would be a favourable destination for him, as they remain one of the more competitive teams in the NHL.

Overall, Detroit has made little noise this Summer, but I am expecting the big move to come next Spring at the 2012 Trade Deadline. Can't wait for the season to start, Go Wings!

Don't forget to leave your own comments as to what you think will happen this coming season, thanks for reading.