Hello again readers. I'm sorry I missed the regular Sunday post. Since it was long weekend here in Canada, I was caught up with cousins and never was able to find the time. However, with the recent press conference made by the Detroit Red Wings, where it was revealed star defenceman Brian Rafalski was retiring, I felt I should write something about him. Since I've been a Red Wings fan since I started watching hockey, I've seen a lot of Rafalski; including his small frame but strong skating and passing. It is amazing to think that he went undrafted and had to spend years in Europe before finally given a chance by the Devils. Once he broke into the NHL, he quickly became one of the most offensive dman in the league; as well as successful. While on the Devils, he played 541 regular season games scoring 44 goals and 311 points, as well as 2 Stanley Cup championships. The Dearborn Michigan native then took the opportunity to move closer to home by signing with the Red Wings as an unrestricted free agent in 2007. With the Wings he went on to win another Stanley Cup and came within one win of another. In all he made it to the final playoff round 5 times while winning 3 times in only 11 seasons. But Rafalski also was successful on the international stage by winning 2 silver medals for team USA at the Olympics. For a defenceman who was only 5ft 10in and undrafted by all the teams, he certainly showed how to find success in the NHL. He will be missed by the hockey community.
Of course, with Rafalski's departure, a new $6 million space in the salary cap appears for Detroit and speculation has already begun on who they will bring in to fill the void. Almost all the unsigned defencemen available seen to be considered by the Wings, from Kevin Bieksa, Eric Brewer, Christian Erhoff and Ed Jovanovski. There are also some restricted free agents that would require Detroit to give up draft picks to get including Drew Doughty, Shea Weber, Keith Yandle and Zach Bogosion. GM Ken Holland has said he want their 2007 1st round pick Brendan Smith to crack the lineup, but that isn't a guarantee yet. And if captain Nick Lidstrom also decides to retire, Holland will defiantly need to sign a free agent, maybe even two players.
In my opinion, I think Holland should go after Bieksa or Erhoff as they fit they same style that Detroit plays. However, Jovanovski is also from Windsor Ontario, so like Rafalski, coming to Detroit would be a bit of a homecoming. If any of those 3 players, or any of the restricted free agents are signed by Holland, the Wings will be able to successfully fill the new void left by Rafalski. It will take a star dman to do that. Either way, it will be a big season of change in Michigan and with Detroit's track record of success, you know they will make the right moves.
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