MLive’s Ansar Khan posted a profile of Red Wings free agent signing J.T. Compher this evening, discussing the former Colorado Avalanche center’s decision to join the Red Wings on a 5-year contract:
Compher rattled off reasons why he joined the Red Wings, including familiarity with the area having played for the U.S. National Team Development Program in Plymouth prior to three seasons at Michigan. He also cited good conversations with general manager Steve Yzerman and coach Derek Lalonde.
“There are a lot of attractive parts about playing for the Red Wings,” Compher said. “I think at the end of the day it was my conversation with Steve and hearing about the direction of the Wings and what he was trying to build. I really believed in what he’s doing, the sort of people they want to bring in. You want to have a great team on the ice, but you need to have good guys in the room.
“But overall, it was the direction of the team, the desire to win. I could hear it in their voice. That’s what we want as players, a chance to build and try to win championships.”
Larkin and Copp gave Compher the lowdown on what it’s like playing for the Red Wings.
“They said they love the room and they have a really good group of guys that want to win,” Compher said. “I was excited to work together and try to make the playoffs and push the team into being as good as it can be. They both had really good things to say about management and coaches.”
