The Free Press’s Helene St. James wrote an article reflecting upon Red Wings GM Steve Yzerman’s comments during yesterday’s press conference with the Wings’ media corps, and she takes note of the fact that Yzerman stated he’s intrigued to see what this year’s team can do on the ice–twice:
Yzerman made one trade (Staal) and otherwise looked to free agency to make the Wings more competitive. With the Wings in a rebuild, Yzerman kept contracts to either one or two years — and signed players who are looking to either establish themselves as NHL regulars (Merrill) or reboot their careers (Ryan).
It should make for a competitive 14 days of camp.
“We’ve made several changes and all the players were very enthusiastic when we talked to them prior to signing with the team,” Yzerman said. “That was very encouraging for me. I think there will be a lot of renewed enthusiasm. The majority of our players are on relatively short, one- or two-year contracts. They’ve got a lot to play for.”
Continued; if you missed the presser, here it is:
