At the end of last season, the Detroit Red Wings lost their captain Niklas Lidstrom to retirement. The future Hall Of Famer was the backbone of the Red Wings defense and captained the team to one Stanley Cup. Lidstrom also won with the team in 2002 when he was crowned as the Conn Smythe winner for playoff MVP.
With Lidstrom gone, questions over Detroit's defense have risen and without a major replacement this summer, many believe that Detroit's defense will suffer mightily this season. Recent rumors seem to indicate that Detroit is active in its search for a replacement but the latest news that the team is interested in Wade Redden is surprising. According to CBS Sports and Rant Sports, the team is considering signing the out-of-favor Rangers' defenseman.
Over the weekend, the NHL and NHLPA made an alteration to their agreement on the compliance buy-out clause. Teams were sending players home until the end of the season to avoid injuries so that they could buy them out this summer. However, the new agreement allows teams to use their buy-out this week. The NY Rangers have already announced plans to buy-out Redden, making his a free agent this weekend. Redden has not played in the NHL since the 2009-10 season with the Rangers. In 75 games he scored just two goals with 12 assists while carrying a tremendous $5.6 million salary cap hit.
According to CBS Sports, the Wings are only looking into the situation and are being counseled by assistant coach Tom Renney. Renney was the head coach of the Rangers and worked with Redden. Redden was once a second overall pick in the NHL Entry Draft and had a solid career playing for the Ottawa Senators. However, at age 35 he is well past his prime.