The Detroit Red Wings can breathe a sigh of relief and begin refocusing their attention now that they have an answer to the summer’s biggest question.
The organization announced today that they have come to to terms with captain Nicklas Lidstrom on a one-year deal worth $6.2 million, the same as he earned last season. This will mark Lidstrom’s 20th season in the NHL, all of which with the Red Wings.
At 41-years-old, Lidstrom remains one of the best defenseman in the NHL and was nominated for the Norris Trophy as the NHL’s best defenseman again this season. If he wins, it will be the seventh Norris Trophy of his career. Last season, Lidstrom posted 16 goals and 42 assists and finished second overall in defense scoring in the NHL and also played in all 82 games for the Red Wings.
With Lidstrom now on board, the Red Wings can begin focusing their attention on free agency. The team will likely recruit a top-four free agent defenseman to offset the loss of Brian Rafalski, who retired several weeks ago. Potential targets for the Wings include James Wisniewski, Ed Jovanovski, Andrei Markov, Tomas Kaberle and Joni Pitkanen. Jovanovski hails from nearby Windsor while Wisniewski, who is largely viewed as the Wings’ best option to replace Rafalski, was raised in Canton, a suburb of Detroit.
