We’ve read a fair number of articles of late which link the Detroit Red Wings to potentially signing one unrestricted free agent forward Nazem Kadri.
Detroit Hockey Now’s Nate Brown isn’t buying it, and he offers “Two Truths and a Lie” as to why Kadri might be far more inclined to re-sign with his most recent employer, the Colorado Avalanche, instead of Detroit:
Truth: Yzerman is on the Record Saying He’s Done Signing Free Agents: The Red Wings general manager joked in the past that so many analysts, fans, and pundits think he always has an ulterior motive when making deals.
If you look at his work in Detroit and Tampa, he’s been consistent with his comments. Here’s what he said two weeks ago:
“I wouldn’t want to sign another significant free agent and put myself in position where I have to trade somebody for whatever reason because that’s not a good time to do it. But I’m always looking at ways to try to get better.”
It already looks like new coach Derek Lalonde and Yzerman will be playing roster Tetris with who fits and who doesn’t. Filip Zadina is still unsigned as well as Jake Walman. Beyond that, where will Joe Veleno fit in? And then there’s players pushing onto the roster, trying to be this season’s Lucas Raymond or Moritz Seider.
Adding Kadri would only confound things more for Yzerman and Detroit.
Brown continues, and his logic is sound. I don’t believe that Kadri will end up in Detroit unless it’s on a John Klingberg-like short-term contract, and I suspect that he’s going to end up back in Denver.
Yeah, a short two year deal max would be the only way I would sign Kadri. Colorado was stacked so he benefitted while playing for them. I don’t think he’s that much better than Copp and would prefer to give our younger players more opportunity over signing a 32 year old who has 2-3 more years of top level hockey. On top of that, the dude is a dirty player and you can always count on him to get suspended.
That’s the issue with Kadri for me–it’s not that he’s 31, it’s that he rides the edge in a way that Tyler Bertuzzi can control, and Kadri can’t seem to control that aspect of his game. Therein lies the strange fit for me.
Who knows, it’s been a weird offseason, but I’d prefer to use the cap space elsewhere.