National Hockey League: Ex Dallas Stars’ Mike Modano to settle for the Detroit Red Wings
It’s been a month since Mike Modano entered unrestricted free agency. There have been all kinds of rumours about Modano’s future. The Red Wings launched a determined effort to woo the Detroit native to his hometown for his final season with general manager Ken Holland leading the charge. However, then it wasn’t even clear if Modano would play another season or be retiring. Modano said that he was not being pressured and that his most likely destination would have been the Red Wings.
However, when other teams joined the party, the whole situation got a little muddled. San Jose Sharks and Minnesota Wilds were the teams that approached Modano, but it appears now that Modano has picked Detroit to play his final season.
Unconfirmed reports say that the 40 year old veteran of 20 NHL seasons has concluded negotiations with the Red Wings for one year contract. Mike Modano is coming home and Detroit and fans couldn’t be happier. Neither Modano, nor the Red Wings have confirmed the reports but Modano did fuel the speculations when he sent a text message to the Detroit Free Press saying that an important announcement would be made on Thursday.
The (one-year) contract in question is reportedly worth $1.25 million. That number would mark a considerable pay cut for Modano from his $2.25 million salary last season. The decision for Modano isn’t entirely a financial matter. Playing the final season of his career in his hometown with his family and friends cheering him on is something that, according to Modano himself, is very important to him. It makes sense for the Red Wings too. Modano has an extensive fan following overall and specifically in Detroit. Had his ability on the ice deteriorated, even then it would have made sense to have Modano on the team just for the fans’ sake. However, Modano is still playing and playing rather well.
Modano might be nearing the end of his career, but he is far from washed up. His numbers have been dropping as would be expected but they are still very good numbers. Mike finished the 2007-2008 season with over 50 points. That number dropped to 46 the next season and stood at 30 in the last season he played for the NHL. Considering the fact that the Wings would be getting Modano for less than a million and a half, that deal begins to sound like a real bargain.
Modano would most likely play the centre on the third scoring line with wingers Dan Cleary and Jiri Hudler. GM Holland said that Modano would be out on the ice with forwards who have scoring ability. He added that one of the most difficult tasks in the NHL team building process was offense. “You sign a couple of players and you run out of money,” Holland said. With Modano, the team could possibly have three legitimate scoring lines.
Mike fits well with the Red Wings. He is very fast on ice and is just what Detroit needs for the kind of puck possession play they employ. Signing with the Red Wings also helps Modano perform better and score more points. Detroit would be an important team in the coming season and Modano could be an important part of that team. He definitely would have considered the idea of retiring from the sport with a Stanley Cup win. The Red Wings have a much better chance at the Cup than San Jose or Minnesota. If not the Cup, the Red Wings would at least make the playoffs and Modano would be a part of that effort.
It’s not just the fans who are waiting for Modano to make a decision, Red Wing’s restricted free agents Darren Helm and Justin Abdelkader too would feel a direct effect of his decision. Holland noted as much in a statement earlier when he said that Mike’s decision would impact their roles and ice time.
A contender for the Hall of Fame, Modano has played all 20 of his NHL season with the Stars, scoring 557 goals and making 802 assists in 1,457 games. He scored a career high of 93 points twice in his career.
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