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Red Wings Sign Defenseman Mike Green

DETROIT, MICH — The Detroit Red Wings have signed Mike Green to a three-year $18 million contract:

The former Washington Capital right-shooting blue-liner has 360 points in 575 career NHL games. Mike Green was drafted in 2004 at 29th overall, a pick that was acquired for Detroit in the Robert Lang trade.

Green will add an immediate weapon to the Red Wings specialty teams as he can quarterback the power play, and act as a potent offensive defenseman. The 29-year-old will bring great skating abilities and natural scoring to the Red Wings core of defenders. Green has a quick first pass, and is often considered a “fourth forward” type of defenseman.

I really like the terms that Detroit has given him, but the issue stands.. The Red Wings will need to move a defenseman to make room with the current logjam.

More from the Red Wings organization:

The Detroit Red Wings today signed free agent defenseman Mike Green to a three-year contract. In accordance with club policy, additional details will not be disclosed.

Green, 29, has spent his entire NHL career with the Washington Capitals, picking up 360 points (113-247-360) in 575 career games. He has totaled 345 points (110-235-345) since the start of the 2007-08 season, making him the NHL’s second-highest scoring defenseman in that span behind only Chicago’s Duncan Keith. A two-time NHL First-Team All-Star, Green led all NHL defenseman in points in 2009 and 2010 and has led all defensemen in goals on four occasions (2008, 2009, 2010 and 2013). He scored a career-high 31 goals during the 2008-09 campaign and is the only defenseman to reach the 30-goal plateau since Kevin Hatcher did so with Washington in 1992-93. The 10-year NHL veteran was a back-to-back Norris Trophy runner up as the NHL’s best defenseman after setting a then-career high with 73 points (31-42-73) in 2008-09 and besting that total in 2009-10 with 76 points (19-57-76).

In 2014-15, he appeared in 72 games for the Capitals, finishing fifth on the team with 45 points (10-35-45). He led the club with a plus-15 rating and ranked among team leaders with 10 goals (T9th), 35 assists (3rd), 17 power-play points (3rd), 159 shots on goal (3rd) and 19:06 average time on ice (6th). He also appeared in 14 postseason games and has produced 35 points (9-26-35) in 71 career NHL playoff games. Green was drafted by Washington in the first round (29th overall) of the 2004 NHL Entry Draft with a selection that originally belonged to the Red Wings before it was traded to the Capitals in the deal that brought Robert Lang to Detroit.

The Calgary, Alberta, native has represented Canada twice on the international circuit, most recently helping his country capture a silver medal at the 2008 IIHF World Championship, where he totaled 12 points (4-8-12) in nine games en route to being named to the all-tournament team. He was also a member of Canada’s gold-medal winning IIHF Under-18 World Championship team in 2003.

Prior to turning professional, the 6-foot-1, 207-lb., blueliner skated in 267 games in the Western Hockey League for the Saskatoon Blades, tallying 172 points (37-135-172) and 324 penalty minutes. He led all WHL defensemen in points with 66 (14-52-66) in 2004-05 and was a WHL First-Team All-Star. During his first two professional campaigns, he split time between Washington and the AHL-affiliate Hershey Bears. Green totaled 51 points (12-39-51) in 68 regular-season games with Hershey and added 34 points (10-24-34) in 40 postseason games. He was a 2006 Calder Cup champion with the Bears and was named to the AHL All-Rookie Team after leading all defensemen in scoring.

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