For the first time in his NHL career, Mike Modano will not be wearing a star on his chest. The Dallas Stars announced earlier in the week they wouldn’t re-sign their longest tenured player, who has been with the team since their days as the Minnesota North Stars.
That has immediately fueled speculation that the Red Wings would be in the running for Modano, and GM Ken Holland confirmed that today:
“He’s a local boy, a (future) Hall of Famer, yeah, I’m interested,” Holland said. “We’ve had good success through the years in getting the most out of players that are nearing the end.”
Modano still has the scoring touch even as he nears age 41, netting 14 goals last year in 59 games. The Wings would absolutely love to have a scoring threat on their third or fourth line, but the cap might prevent it. Detroit currently has $54 million committed to the $59 million cap, and has already tendered offers to Darren Helm, Justin Abdelkader, Drew Miller, Patrick Eaves, and Derek Meech.
Modano made $3.45 million last season, but he’s going to have to take less on the open market. While the Wings could get a “hometown discount” on him, they’d still have to let guys go to make room. If that happens, Meech and Miller are likely the guys that get the shaft. Meech is probably going to be traded anyways since he can’t seem to crack the roster, but Miller is fairly young and was a good role player last year and could be missed down the road.
Still, this is all speculation at this point. Even a crack at a Stanley Cup might not be enough to convince Modano to keep playing. He’s already mulling an offer from Dallas to join the front office.
