More on Rafalski
Here are some more takes on Brian Rafalski signing yesterday with the Detroit Red Wings.
Ansar Khan - MLIVE
“We needed to add a third puck-moving defenseman (in addition to Nicklas Lidstrom and Niklas Kronwall),'’ Wings general manager Ken Holland said. “We could afford one player in the $6 million (a year) range and we wanted a defenseman.'’
Rafalski, who was born in Dearborn and spent his entire seven-year NHL career in New Jersey, is coming off his best season, with career highs in goals (eight) and points (55).
“He fits the style of game we like to play; he has the ability to generate attack from the back end,'’ Holland said. “He’s very good defensively, not flashy, but very efficient. He competes hard. We think he’s a perfect addition to our team.'’
George Malik - Rafalski talks to TSN
Duthie: Born in Dearborn, Michigan, did the Red Wings get a hometown discount, at 5 years and $30 million dollars, were you offered more elsewhere?
Rafalski: …well, regardless, it was a very generous offer for the Red Wings, and there were other offers out there, I’m not going to get into details, but it was enough for me to go to a franchise where we have a very good chance of winning the Stanley Cup, and it’s a situation where I’m going to feel very comfortable, and enjoy every aspect of life, whether it’s at home, at the rink, everything, and that was pretty important. Outside of New Jersey, I’d say that Detroit was my…Um, you know, Detroit is obviously my #1 choice now, that’s why I’m there, but it didn’t work out in New Jersey, and I understand, and, you know, it’s time to move on and go to a new start.
Hockey Blog in Canada - Canada/UFA Day
The Detroit Red Wings signed defenseman Brian Rafalski to a five-year, $30 million contract.
Teebz: Losing Schneider was bad for the Red Wings, so they decided to fill the hole with Michigan-born Brian Rafalski. Rafalski is an excellent offensive defenseman, and he doesn’t shy away from the play in his own end. This might be the best signing of the day so far. Kudos to Ken Holland. The Red Wings will be a Stanley Cup favorite in the Western Conference for the next few years with this signing.
On the Wings - Wings Sign Rafalski
Ansar Khan reports that the Wings have only $8 million to spend now that they’ve signed Rafalski. That $8 million will be spread rather thin between Hasek, Bertuzzi, and Markov, so thin that Holland may only be able to sign two of them and will be unable to go after a UFA like Ryan Smyth.
I estimated that the Wings had $13.5 million to spend on free agents but it looks like that number is closer to $14 million. Unfortunately Danny Markov might be out of the question. However the Wings have a lot of young blueliners so hopefully Kyle Quincey will continue to get ice time in Detroit so he can continue to develop. Signing Rafalski was huge because he is going to be on the team long after Chelios retires and would be a solid top-pairing guy if Nick Lidstrom retires within the next 5 years.
Go Devils - End of the Rafalski/Gomez Era
Raffie’s a great pick-up for Detriot, and an improvement on Schneider. We think the Wings fans will love him, and we think he’ll be a good player to bridge the gap between the classic Lidstrom and the youngish rest of the d-corps. But as far as we are concerned, we say thanks for the Cups, the memories, and thanks for helping youngsters Martin and Greene hone their games. We wish Raffie good luck in Detroit but will most likely never forgive him the slight of saying he’ll sign and then leaving for more money than he’s worth.
I’m sure some Red Wings fans would say some of the same things regarding Schneider. I’m just glad Ken Holland was ready to move when the free agent market opened. It was something I questioned just before the feeding frenzy started:
Mathieu Schneider has every right to pursue the option that is best for him. My only concern is that the Red Wings move to fill the hole left by Schneider pretty quickly once the clock strikes noon tomorrow. I’m not suggesting they need to sign a guy at 12:30; I’m just wondering if they will work aggressively to fill that spot starting tomorrow so they will be in the best shape for next season.
Done and done. They not only filled the hole left by Schneider’s departure, they have a guy who can help to maintain one of the best defensive corps in the NHL. If Niklas Kronwall can ever make it through an entire NHL season the top 3 is going to be very solid, if a bit undersized. That’s why it is going to be important for Andreas Lilja to pick up where he left off during the playoffs and for Kyle Quincey to become a contributor.
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[…] Christy at Behind the Jersey - as is usual - has provided a thorough account of the players the Red Wings lost and signed this offseason. I agree with her that the biggest loss for the Wings was Mathieu Schneider signing with the Anaheim Ducks. But his leaving didn’t bother me at all when I found out that Detroit was able to sign Brian Rafalski to replace him. […]