Three Players the Detroit Red Wings could add in Free Agency
By Bob Heyrman
Thomas Vanek career stats 1029GP | 373G | 416A | 789P
Something many Detroit Red Wings fans won’t love to hear is bringing back Thomas Vanek but if Yzerman is looking for a depth winger to push the young kids on the roster why not bring back a guy who scored 16 goals last year during limited ice-time.
Vanek averaged 14:07 TOI last year with the Wings, his Corsi for percentage was merely bad at 46.7%. I mean the Wings regularly ran Justin Abdelkader onto the ice with his 6 goals, 19 points, and an ugly 46% Corsi for percentage. Abdelkader was a minus -14 while Vanek was a -12.
At least Vanek was able to record 36 points on the season including 16 goals. Somehow Abdelkader managed to average 15:24 TOI a game; that tells you how bad things are in Detroit at the moment.
I feel Steve Yzerman would have a better chance to move Thomas Vanek at the trade deadline than Ken Holland. The Detroit Red Wings would likely be able to sign Vanek to a one-year deal worth about $1.5-$2-million dollars.
If a player like Evgeny Svechnikov can emerge during training camp overtaking the spot that bodes well for the Detroit Red Wings. Vanek provides versatility as he’s able to play on the teams’ second power-play unit and then take a regular shift on any of the second thru fourth lines. I much prefer Vanek’s offensive ability over the likes of Abdelkader, Christoffer Ehn, Darren Helm, and Jacob de La Rose.