Per the Red Wings…
The #RedWings today signed defenseman Patrik Nemeth to a 2-year contract. pic.twitter.com/niJ3lHoA5U— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) July 1, 2019
And MLive’s Ansar Khan:
Nemeth, 27, shoots left. The native of Stockholm, Sweden, has appeared in 250 NHL games (four goals, 35 assists). He has one point (an assist) in 18 career playoff games.
He was selected 41st overall by the Dallas Stars in 2010.
Red Wings forward Anthony Mantha initiated a fight with Nemeth on Dec. 2 at Litttle Caesars Arena after the Avalanche defenseman hit Dylan Larkin. Mantha suffered a broken hand and missed four weeks.
The signing gives the Red Wings six defensemen on one-way contracts (Mike Green, Danny DeKeyser, Jonathan Ericsson, Trevor Daley and Madison Bowey are the others). Filip Hronek seems like a lock to make the roster as well. Dennis Cholowski is in the mix.
Niklas Kronwall is deciding whether to play another season. General manager Steve Yzerman said Kronwall will have a spot on the roster if he decides to play.
The Free Press’s Helene St. James also confirms:
This is the guy Anthony Mantha fought in December after Nemeth rung Larkin’s head against the boards. Mantha injured a hand in the fight and ended up missing a month. Nemeth is 27, and adds size to the blue line at 6-foot-3, 219 pounds. He’s spent the last two seasons with the Colorado Avalanche, posting 25 points in 142 games. He started out with the Dallas Stars, and has appeared in 250 career NHL games, with 39 points and a pus-24 rating. He averaged 16:29 minutes per game, and was one of the Avs’ workhorses on the penalty kill. He could fit on a pairing with Mike Green or Filip Hronek as a stay-at-home type defenseman.
Update: Not sure if this is accurate yet:
The #RedWings sign 27 y/o LD Patrik Nemeth to 2 yr $3M Cap Hit Deal.
Yr 1: $3.2M Salary
Yr 2: $2.8M Salary
Rep’d by Claude Lemieux @4sportshockey https://t.co/E9NsmSFoxU— PuckPedia (@PuckPedia) July 1, 2019
By the way, the agent for new Red Wings defenseman Patrik Nemeth is … wait for it … Claude Lemieux.— John Niyo (@JohnNiyo) July 1, 2019
Khan on Nemeth’s salary:
The deal is believed to have an AAV of $3 million ($3.2 million in 2019-20 and $2.8 million the following season). Nemeth earned $2.5 million last season.
Update: More from the Free Press’s Helene St. James:
Nemeth represented Sweden at the 2012 World Junior Championships in Calgary, helping the team win the gold.
Nemeth was selected 41st overall by the Dallas Stars in the 2010 NHL draft.
Nemeth made his NHL debut at 21 with Dallas in 2013. He spent parts of four seasons with the Stars before joining the Avalanche for the past two years.
He had a career-high three goals and 12 assists in 2017-18. He one goal and nine assists and was a plus-5 in 74 games this past season.
