The Malik Report

As first reported by The Fourth Period’s David Pagnotta and Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman, the Red Wings signed 30-year-old defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere to a 1-year, $4.125 million deal with the Red Wings:

Not sure if this is out there but as I sip on my beer, Gostisbehere signs one year, $4.125 M in Detroit 🍺— Pierre LeBrun (@PierreVLeBrun) July 1, 2023

Shayne Gostisbehere 1x$4–and-bit in DET— Elliotte Friedman (@FriedgeHNIC) July 1, 2023

UPDATE: The #RedWings today signed defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere to a one-year contract with an AAV of $4,125,000. pic.twitter.com/3M7NAguMcZ— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) July 2, 2023

Shayne Gostisbehere has signed with the Detroit Red Wings to a one-year, $4.125M deal. This is one of better signings by Yzerman today. Gostisbehere is a TOP4 offensive defenseman & who is also great on PP. For one year it’s good deal. pic.twitter.com/jxnsag4M8r— Andy & Rono (@ARHockeyStats) July 1, 2023

Shayne Gostisbehere, signed 1x$4ishM by DET, is a top four offensive defenceman with a great shot and excellent penalty differential. At his best in the offensive zone, pretty easy to beat off the rush. #LGRW pic.twitter.com/zkxfdDTvi1— JFresh (@JFreshHockey) July 1, 2023

Here’s CBS Sports’ take:

Gostisbehere recorded 13 goals and 41 points in 75 contests between Arizona and Carolina last season. Although the 30-year-old defenseman has had an up-and-down career, Gostisbehere is capable of serving in a top-four role and being a major asset on the power play. He should be put in a position to succeed with the Red Wings.

And MLive’s Ansar Khan confirms:

Continue reading Red Wings sign D Shayne Gostisbehere to 1-year, $4.125 million contract

The Athletic’s Max Bultman posted seven “thoughts” regarding the Red Wings’ first-day-of-free-agency moves. Among them:

It shouldn’t be lost here that signing Compher as a top-nine Swiss army knife makes the Red Wings deeper. Detroit badly needed a right-shot center, too, and Compher can be that, whether it means playing down the middle full-time or by playing on Copp’s wing and taking draws from the right dot.

He should make the Red Wings harder to play against in general.

But the price was not small, and even after adding Compher and 21-goal scorer Daniel Sprong, Detroit is still without that true top-level scorer it needs. It was always going to be tricky on a free-agent market this thin, but whether it was on the UFA market or by trade, top-six firepower was the key need going into today. And right now, Detroit’s approach seems to have been to fill by committee.

It would have been one thing to take that route as a bridge to next summer’s free agent class, but giving Compher five years complicates that, and is a bit hard to square with recent comments.

Just last week, Yzerman said, “Seven- and eight-year contracts are a risk at any age. And some of them can turn out to be good. But if you look at the history of them, the majority of them don’t work out. So, very careful on how many of those we hand out, and who you hand them out to.”

Continued (paywall); I’m fairly certain that the Wings will have to make a trade to add what they’re looking for.

Per PHNX Sports’ Craig Morgan, via The Athletic’s Max Bultman:

Hearing F Christian Fischer is heading to the Detroit Red Wings on a 1-year deal.— Craig Morgan (@CraigSMorgan) July 1, 2023

Fischer is a 26-year-old right wing who’s an unrestricted free agent. He stands 6’2″ and 214 pounds, and he posted 27 points (13 goals and 14 assists) in 80 games for the Arizona Coyotes last season.

Per the NHL’s YouTube channel:

The Red Wings could use another top-four defender, and 30-year-old Shayne Gostisbehere might fit the bill:

Among the teams in the mix for Shayne Gostisbehere, from what I’m hearing, are the Detroit Red Wings.— David Pagnotta (@TheFourthPeriod) July 1, 2023

We will see where this goes, but believe Shayne Gostisbehere is talking with Detroit— Elliotte Friedman (@FriedgeHNIC) July 1, 2023

If this gets to the finish line with Detroit, sounds like it would be a 1-year deal. Christian Fischer also working on a 1-year deal with Wings. https://t.co/GSCub3tX22— David Pagnotta (@TheFourthPeriod) July 1, 2023

The Athletic’s Eric Duhatschek and Shayna Goldman both weighed in on the Red Wings’ highest-profile free agent signing of the day, with Goldman offering a good summary as to the direction of the team–or the seeming lack thereof:

Goldman: Compher’s really grown into a strong defensive center, which actually put him in the conversation with some of the best for the Selke Trophy. Not only did he limit scoring chances, but he managed to do so in tough minutes. And he made that leap forward while taking on an expanded role as the team’s second-line center. That obviously earned him a raise that was probably going to be out of Colorado’s range, even after a shaky postseason.

Evolving-Hockey projected his most likely value as a four-year contract that carried a $5.7 million cap hit. A five-year deal came in a little lower, at $5.5 million. So Compher actually signed for less, making it a solid contract — if he can keep up that defensive play, keep adding to offense and manage to do both while joining a team that’s not at the level of the Avalanche.

But does Detroit signing this player make sense? The Red Wings have a ton of cap space, but their direction right now is a bit confusing. It feels like the Red Wings should be taking big swings to address their offense first, then addressing their roster elsewhere with the remaining openings and cap space. It all just feels underwhelming right now, when this should be a team that positions itself to take a big step forward.

Contract grade: B
Fit grade: C+

Continued (paywall); the Wings have yet to address their desperate need for an elite offensive contributor, and that’s worrisome.

Update: Detroit Hockey Now’s Kevin Allen also looks on the bright side of life:

Compher posted career-best 52 points for the Colorado Avalanche in 2022-23. That’s 10 more points than Copp registered as the team’s No. 2 center. Compher played more than 20 minutes per game for Colorado this season and owned a Corsi rating of 52.3.

Through social media, fans are complaining about the length of the deal. It is longer than what Yzerman likes to give out.

The Avalanche wanted to re-sign Compher, but couldn’t reach an agreement. The Avalanche traded for Ryan Johansen who only has two years remaining on his contract. The Avalanche are only on the hook for $4 million each season.

In seven NHL seasons, Compher has never had a 20-goal season. But he has produced 17 and 18 goals over each of the past two seasons. He’s +33 over the past four seasons.

Compher was the Red Wings’ fifth free agent signing Saturday. They previously had signed goalies Alex Lyon and James Reimer, defenseman Justin Holl and Daniel Sprong

The Red Wings have had a decidedly ordinary day dipping their toes into the free agent pool today, and The Athletic’s Max Bultman summarizes the gestalt of the J.T. Compher signing:

Is this the big addition of Detroit’s offseason?

Compher is a good player. But to answer the question directly, the Red Wings had better hope not. Because while both Compher and Daniel Sprong will add scoring to their lineup, neither is the kind of top-six difference maker Detroit really needs to feel good about its offseason.

Compher is more in the mold of 2022 free agent signing Andrew Copp — and in fact, got a very similar contract. And while both are good players who help the Red Wings, it’s debatable whether they really needed two in that mold, especially at freights north of $5 million apiece, when they still lack that top-end scorer.

Compher makes them deeper, and if he’s the third-line center, he’s probably one of the better ones in the league. But again, if the Red Wings don’t also add a scorer, Compher will need to really produce for it to move the needle in Detroit. And that’s a lot of pressure to put on him unnecessarily.

The Red Wings still need to find an elite scorer via trade to truly have achieved their “goals” this offseason.

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:

Continue reading Red Wings sign J.T. Compher to a 5-year contract at $5.1 million per season

Per the Red Wings…

Danielson & Sandin Pellikka on ice. 👀#DRWDC pic.twitter.com/MxmsNZrIAq— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) July 1, 2023

First round of the 2023 #nhldraft → first day of 2023 #drwdc 👀

👋, Nate & Axel! pic.twitter.com/xp3EbVpXE2— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) July 1, 2023

Detroit Hockey Now’s Kevin Allen notes that the Red Wings have not been able to fully address their search for offense over the course of the first four hours of unrestricted free agency:

The Detroit Red Wings want more goals and have established a willingness to pay $95,238 per goal to acquire them

GM Steve Yzerman signed 21-goal scorer Daniel Sprong, 26, to one-year deal worth $2 million. He has scored 27 goals in 82 games since joining the Seattle Kraken in 2022-23.

As 3:30, the Red Wings had signed goalies James Reimer and Alex Lyon, defenseman Justin Holl and Sprong from what was considered a below average free agent class.

The market’s most desirable forward may have been Alex Killorn. Both Yzerman and coach Derek Lalonde knew him well from their days together in Tampa Bay. However, Killorn chose to sign with the Anaheim Ducks.

Anaheim’s general manager is Pat Verbeek who worked for Yzerman in Tampa Bay. He also had a connection to Killorn.

Continued; 33-year-old Killorn earned a $25-million, 4-year contract, and that’s a bit wacky, even for Detroit to dole out.