10 Newly Added NHL Players expected to change around their teams –Part 3
It is not always the same player or a player even signed on from the free agency all of a sudden that creates a change on the roster and during game play. A lot of the times, National Hockey League (NHL) franchise general managers, look at players and observe
them over the duration of a season, and if they see what they like, signing them on or trading for them later on is not an uncommon practice.
Obviously every team has a different style of play and requirement issues, so spotting a player that looks to be very compatible with your style of play is always a good move for a team and even better luck if the addition really does make the right impact.
With the going of a player, a team gains the opportunity to fill up that space with a better player as the one exiting opens up very valuable salary cap space. Our next name on the list to the countdown of top 10 newly added players on various franchises,
who are expected to change the team the most is someone who can be fit into the above talked about scenarios.
Ian White (Detroit Red Wings)
With the going of veteran 37-year-old defenseman, Brian Rafalski, who can be easily termed as one of the greatest players with three Stanley Cups under the belt, but extremely underrated in terms of coverage and being talked about, Detroit needed to fill
the experienced spot and who better than former San Jose Sharks defender, Ian White.
Drafted as the 191st overall pick during round-six of the 2002 NHL Entry Draft by Toronto Maple Leafs, White was traded to Calgary Flames by his original draft team during the 2009-2010 season. Surprisingly, after signing a one-year contract with
Calgary for $2.99 million, he was traded to Carolina Hurricanes after 16 games and then again after another 39.
White completed his fast paced shifting season by appearing in 23 games with San José Sharks and 17 postseason matchups, scoring 10 (2 goals, 8 assists) and nine points (1 goal, 8 assists) respectively.
It was only a day after White became an unrestricted free agent that cause Detroit to sign his without hesitation to a two-year, $5.75 million contract, which was his highest signing yet with one of the league’s top teams.
Through Detroit general manager, Ken Holland, it was later on learnt that White was being observed by team scouts and termed him as a perfect fit for the team, especially after the loss of Rafalski.
Detroit is without a doubt a thriving team and now White has the perfect chance of turning the tables around against the teams which did not allow him to sit still. Not having a capable enough backup for offensive defenseman, Nicklas Lidstrom, Detroit hopes
that this decision of theirs will prove fruitful.
Having scored a total of 26 points (4 goals, 22 assists) last season with three different teams, White has gained enough experience of moving around to come in and start performing right away.
To be continued in part 4....
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