Value has been the name of the game for Steve Yzerman so far this offseason as he continues to rebuild that Red Wings roster.
We saw it yesterday with low-risk, potentially high-reward type deals given to veteran forward Bobby Ryan and defenseman Jon Merrill to get some short-term holes plug while the team continues to develop young talent.
Today, that value trend continued when Yzerman addressed the need for a goaltender signing former Islanders netminder Thomas Greiss to a two-year deal worth $7.2 million.
Greiss wasn’t the most notable goaltender on the market this offseason but that shouldn’t take away from the solid numbers he’s put up the past few seasons including coming off a year in which he posted a 2.74 GAA and .913 save percentage in 31 games played.
The Athletic’s Prashanth Iyer also noted Greiss’ top 20 Standing Points Above Replacement stat this past season juxtaposed to what the Wings had to work with this past season.
Obviously, the Red Wings simply weren’t in a position yet to go out and spend big money on a goaltender, as Yzerman further confirmed that he wasn’t looking for long-term deals this offseason. Detroit is still looking for that bridge between now and being competitive once again, something that Greiss should give them between the pipes.
Iyer further notes some questions surrounding Greiss such as how will he perform outside Barry Trotz’s system and can he continue to put up serviceable numbers at 34? Either way, a two-year deal with an AAV of $3.6 million is a chance worth taking for Detroit.
