The Detroit Red Wings apparently have agreed to terms with undrafted Swiss forward Damien Brunner.
According to Mlive.com and the Detroit Free Press, Brunner told Swiss media that he has agreed to a one-year, two-way deal with the Wings.
The Wings won’t officially be able to sign Brunner until July 1 when free agency begins and he can sign with any team, so things can change before then, but Brunner’s comments to Swiss media certainly give an indication which way he is leaning for next season.
“Mike Babcock and I saw him play at the World Champions, and we liked what we saw,” Detroit general manager Ken Holland said. “He’s very talented.”
Brunner has one year remaining on his contract with his Swiss club, but apparently has an out clause for the remaining year.
As many as six teams were rumored to be interested in Brunner, including the Pittsburgh Penguins, Washington Capitals, Montreal Canadiens and Tampa Bay Lightning.
If Brunner does sign with the Red Wings on July 1, this could signal the end for pending unrestricted free agent Jiri Hudler with the Wings. Hudler could potentially seek a similar contract to Colorado Avalanche forward David Jones, who recently signed a four-year, $16 million contract extension – a price the Wings apparently are not willing to pay for Hudler.
At 5-10, 180 pounds, Brunner won’t add size to the Wings, but The Detroit Free Press reports that he has a good shot, good stick handling skills, shows grit around the net and is a good skater.
The Wings currently have 12 forwards under contract for next season, including top prospect Gustav Nyquist, who played 18 regular season games and four playoff games with the Wings last season.
If Brunner does sign a two-way contract with the Wings, unless he wows at training camp he will likely begin the season with the Grand Rapids Griffins of the AHL. However, his signing could give the Wings some flexibility to move other players like Cory Emmerton or Jan Mursak.
