Sportsnet’s Justin Bourne posted two-sentence commentaries on “every notable [free agent] signing” from yesterday’s opening of the unrestricted free agent marketplace. Here are his takes on three of the Red Wings’ signings:
Cam Talbot: Detroit, 2 x $2.5M: Pretty low risk deal for Detroit, but how it pans out depends on how their D plays. If anything, Talbot’s stint in Ottawa in 2022-23 showed that he can’t do it without stability in front of him, and I think Detroit’s still got some work to do there.
Erik Gustafsson: Detroit, 2 x $2M: Gustafsson is a high-event guy, but also one of the league’s more raw-talented ones. He can make some of the hardest plays, but also makes some easy ones look hard in the process.
Jack Campbell: Detroit, 1 x $775K: He’s got the pedigree, is a great personality, and most of that can be buried in the minors. On the other hand, maybe he finds himself with a fresh start, and you luck into a legitimate league-average NHL goalie.
Continued at astonishing length…
Low risk at minimum cost that will add competition and, has a real potential of modest improvement over last year’s talent pool. Buys some time for the kids in GR to come upto the show with more experience and, grit to stick and make an impact.