Quick Hits: The New Numbers Edition

Jeff Hancock

• 1 min read Front Page

In Red Wings Land

Welp, it looks like Valtteri Filppula gets to reunite with his old #51 and Frans Nielsen will now carry Marian Hossa’s Red Wings legacy on his back. Patrik Nemeth becomes the latest notable defenseman to wear #22 in Detroit. He joins the club alongside the likes of Mike Commodore and Brett Lebda. It appears that Taro Hirose and Adam Erne will be the first players in Wings history to wear #67 and #73. I look forward to the eventual power play unit of Ehn-Larkin-Athanasiou-Erne-Bowey. Who doesn’t want to see 70-71-72-73-74 on the ice all at once?

Around the League

WHAT ARE THE FIVE BEST LATE-SUMMER SIGNINGS OF THE SALARY CAP ERA? | The Hockey News

But late in the summer, the veteran-laden Red Wings decided to add one more, bringing Bertuzzi aboard on a one-year, $1.5-million pact that represented a $450,000 decrease in salary from the campaign prior. As Prospal did in New York, Bertuzzi did in Detroit. He made the most of his opportunity by registering 18 goals and 44 points while skating in the middle of the Red Wings’ lineup. Bertuzzi wound up turning his one-year deal with Detroit into a five-season stay in Motor City, too. Not bad.

Todd Bertuzzi’s second stint in Detroit went much better than his initial quick stop late in 2006-07.