Per his agency, KO Sports…
Congratulations to J.T. Compher on his new 5-Year Contract with the Detroit Red Wings! #AreYouNext? @Jcomph7 pic.twitter.com/cZ4lJMHEzp— KO Sports, Inc. (@KOSportsInc) July 1, 2023
UPDATE: The #RedWings today signed forward J.T. Compher to a five-year contract with an AAV of $5,100,000. pic.twitter.com/27j678Y6iQ— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) July 1, 2023
Compher is 28, coming off a 52-point season with the Avs…Plays LW or center…
Red Wings sign J.T. Compher to $25.5 million, 5-year deal with $5.1 million cap hit.— Stephen Whyno (@SWhyno) July 1, 2023
The Detroit Red Wings have signed forward J.T. Compher to a five-year, $25.5 million contract with an AAV of $5.1 million. pic.twitter.com/LdifAX8S7I— Complete Hockey News (@CompleteHkyNews) July 1, 2023
The Red Wings have signed J.T. Compher to a 5-year, $5.1m AAV contract pic.twitter.com/FsciDkMgPG— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) July 1, 2023
J.T. Compher ➡️ Detroit Red Wings
5 years, $5.1M AAV
We don’t like Detroit’s moves today at all. Compher isn’t too much consistent and wasn’t seen all play offs. He is solid defensively though. pic.twitter.com/tIgq7ubjAW— Andy & Rono (@ARHockeyStats) July 1, 2023
J.T is heading to DET! @DetroitRedWings | #LGRW | #NHLFreeAgency pic.twitter.com/fyL66oOv0j— NHL Network (@NHLNetwork) July 1, 2023
J.T. Compher goes to the Red Wings. He gets a five-year deal for $5.1 million annually.
Erik Johnson and Compher were two of the five longest-tenured #Avs. Both now have new homes.— Peter Baugh (@Peter_Baugh) July 1, 2023
J.T. Compher, signed 5x$5.1M by DET, is a shutdown centre who stepped up in a big way in a much larger role with the Avs this season, putting up amazing defensive impacts. He was admittedly a no-show in the playoffs. #LGRW pic.twitter.com/z1topFecMK— JFresh (@JFreshHockey) July 1, 2023
J.T. Compher joins several other J.T. Comphers in Detroit.— Greg Wyshynski (@wyshynski) July 1, 2023
Here’s the Wings’ press release:
RED WINGS SIGN J.T. COMPHER TO FIVE-YEAR CONTRACT
… 2022 Stanley Cup Champion Has Recorded 194 Points in 423 NHL Games With Avalanche Since 2016-17 …
DETROIT – The Detroit Red Wings today signed left wing J.T. Compher to a five-year contract with an average annual value of $5.1 million.
Compher, 28, spent the 2022-23 season with the Colorado Avalanche and ranked among the team leaders with 17 goals (T4th), 35 assists (5th), 52 points (4th), a plus-eight rating (T9th), 33 penalty minutes (7th), five power play goals (T6th), 14 power play points (6th), three game-winning goals (T4th) and 154 shots (7th) in 82 games. The 6-foot, 190-pound forward also recorded two points (1-1-2) in seven postseason contests. Compher logged 33 points (18-15-33), a plus-six rating and 25 penalty minutes in 70 games with the Avalanche during the 2021-22 campaign, in addition to eight points (5-3-8) and 10 penalty minutes in 20 playoff games to help the franchise win a Stanley Cup championship. Originally selected by the Buffalo Sabres in the second round (35th overall) of the 2013 NHL Entry Draft, Compher has tallied 194 points (88-106-194) and 150 penalty minutes in 423 regular-season games with the Avalanche since 2016-17, along with 29 points (14-15-29) and 20 penalty minutes in 70 playoff matchups. Compher also had 30 points (13-17-30) and 22 penalty minutes in 41 games with the American Hockey League’s San Antonio Rampage in 2016-17.
Prior to turning professional, Compher played three seasons at the University of Michigan from 2013-16, serving as team captain during his junior year. He helped the Wolverines capture a Big Ten Conference title in 2015-16 and was an All-Big Ten First Team selection after racking up 63 points (16-47-63), a plus-35 rating and 28 penalty minutes in 38 games. Compher was the inaugural Big Ten Rookie of the Year in 2013-14 after logging 31 points (11-20-31), a plus-13 rating and 22 penalty minutes in 35 contests. In all, Compher accumulated 118 points (39-79-118), a plus-45 rating and 90 penalty minutes in 107 games with the Wolverines. The Northbrook, Ill., native skated with the U.S. National Team Development Program from 2011-13. On the international stage, Compher represented Team USA at back-to-back IIHF World Championships in 2016 and 2017, totaling five points (3-2-5) in 18 games. He also played in five games at the 2015 IIHF World Junior Championship. Compher previously earned a silver medal at the 2013 IIHF World Under-18 Championship and a gold medal at the 2012 IIHF World Under-18 Championship.
The Red Wings signed forward JT Compher to a five year deal with an average annual value of $5.1 million pic.twitter.com/G7Rdufajer— Brad Galli (@BradGalli) July 1, 2023
JT Compher gets a five year deal in Detroit worth $5.1 million AAV! pic.twitter.com/eMIg0qjqiE— TSN (@TSN_Sports) July 1, 2023
J.T. IS IN DETROIT ❤️
J.T. Compher has signed a five-year deal with the @DetroitRedWings! ✍️
More #NHLFreeAgency coverage on @NHLNetwork and https://t.co/D5CMtvvLtP! pic.twitter.com/rulMk5yJTB— NHL (@NHL) July 1, 2023
The Detroit Red Wings signed former Michigan center/left wing J.T. Compher to a five-year, $25.5 million contract Saturday, their most significant move on the first day of free agency.
Compher, 28, fills a need as a right-shooting center and can play on the wing, too. He is coming off a career-high 52-point season with the Colorado Avalanche and plays in all situations. Like Andrew Copp, his former U-M teammate who the Red Wings signed last year, Compher is more of a facilitator than a scorer, not having notched more than 18 goals in his career.
Compher (6-0, 190) has spent his entire seven-year NHL career in Colorado after being drafted in the second round by Buffalo in 2013 (35th overall). He has appeared in 423 games, collecting 88 goals and 106 assists,.
Compher played three seasons at Michigan and was a teammate of Copp and Detroit captain Dylan Larkin in 2014-15.
As does CBS Sports…
Compher signed a five-year, $25.5 million contract with Detroit on Saturday.
Compher had 17 goals and 52 points in 82 contests with the Avalanche in 2022-23. That was the first time the 28-year-old forward even reached the 40-point milestone, so he has plenty to prove going into this contract. Detroit will likely give Compher an opportunity to do that by giving him a top-six role.
And here’s The Athletic’s Max Bultman:
What will Compher bring to Detroit?
Compher certainly deepens Detroit’s top-nine, bringing the 17 goals and 52 points he scored in Colorado last season to a team that needs more offense. He should also improve Detroit’s team defense, as that’s been his calling card in Colorado. And, he finally gives them a right-handed offense on faceoffs, which killed the Red Wings at times last season. — Bultman
Is this a good contract for the Red Wings?
It all depends on if the offense holds up from last season, because prior to Compher’s 52-point breakout, his career high was 33. You can live with five years at $5 million for a 50-point player, even if he’s slotting as your third line center or a second-line wing. But you can’t live with it for a 30-point player, even if his defense is very good.
The offense, then, is probably going to determine how this one ages. — Bultman
Here’s the Hockey News’s Mike Stephens…
One of the top forwards available is off the market.
The Detroit Red Wings bolstered their offense on Saturday, agreeing to terms with forward J.T. Compher on a five-year contract worth an average annual value of $5.1 million.
Someone was always bound to pay Compher a lot of money this summer after the 28-year-old finished with 17 goals and 35 assists for 52 points in 82 games.
Hitting the open market after a breakout season on the defending Cup champs in 2022-23, Compher proved himself as a legitimate second-line center with tremendous defensive capabilities who can handle difficult matchups in all situations.
While Compher’s offensive upside is somewhat limited, his age and versatility were seen to be incredibly valuable when the market opened, and Detroit ponied up, nabbing one of the top forwards on the board for the remainder of his prime.
The term and money are a bit much for a player of Compher’s limited offensive capabilities, but the Red Wings had cap space to burn and are slowly building a very competitive roster that could make some serious moves in a tight Atlantic Division.
And here’s the Free Press’s Helene St. James:
Compher (6 feet, 190 pounds, shoots right) has 88 goals and 106 assists in 423 games, all of them with the Avalanche. The former Michigan Wolverine — he was captain in his junior year — scored 17 goals in 2022-23 and 18 in 2021-22. Paying north of $5 million a year for a player with limited scoring history seems steep, but that is free agency in a nutshell: Teams have to pay, and especially in a year where the market was decidedly unexciting.
Compher does add to the Wings’ depth of right-shot forwards, which also includes Sprong, David Perron and Lucas Raymond.
George, can you plz explain WTH is going on today? Didn’t Yzerman say he wasn’t gonna spend money just because we had cap room? I’ve followed Compher since his days at Michigan and he’s a good player, but definitely not what this team needs. We already signed Copp as a 2nd line center last season. You don’t pay this much for a 3rd line center who’s never scored 20 goals in a season. Where is Kasper gonna play now? Plus the 5 year deal/term is just woof…
My best guess is that Yzerman is taking the best he can out of a relatively thin market, re-setting the middle-of-the-lineup depth that wasn’t really provided by last year’s crop of players.
Compher and Copp are comparable players, in theory, anyway, and perhaps they’ll play on the same line as Compher plays LW.
Perhaps that core injury (some players are never the same after such surgery) Copp had will move him to wing since he really struggled last season at center.
BUT, if you want a true upgrade at LW in the top 6, why not swing for the fences and go after Kyle Connor. You have way too many prospects and had a ton of draft capital this year so it was the perfect time to do that. It’s obvious the team is not interested in DeBrincat and probably because he’s not a great two way player, which Yzerman/Draper seem to be obsessed with.
I agree that the Red Wings need to add an elite producer. I’m not sure how they’re going to do that via trade, though.
Btw, great to see you back George. I loved your draft coverage and todays busy free agent frenzy. Even if I wasn’t a fan of most of most of our signings, reading about hockey on July 1st is always a good thing. Looking forward to your prospect tournament coverage in the coming week!
Aunt Annie and I decided that our caregiving arrangement has progressed to the point that I need to see whether I can balance it with blogging, and I’m hoping that this sticks. I really am happy to be back, even as tiring as this week is due to the non-stop news. I want to find a good happy medium and write about hockey again!
Welcome back George we have missed you!
I missed you guys, too.