The Red Wings added more depth up front early Sunday afternoon — the team is signing forward Vladislav Namestnikov to a two-year deal at $2 million AAV:
Vlad Namestnikov lands in Detroit on a two-year contract with a $2M AAV.
— Chris Johnston (@reporterchris) October 11, 2020
Another sneaky-good signing for Steve Yzerman, in what appears to be a pattern for his club. The organization added a handful of short-term, low-cost contracts over the weekend including defenseman Troy Stecher, goalie Thomas Greiss, forward Bobby Ryan, and defenseman Jon Merrill.
Namestnikov, 27, has 189 points through his 425 NHL games. The production doesn’t necessarily jump out at you, but he’s a former 20-goal scorer who can be plugged into the top-six, or bottom-six. This signing could mean that Steve Yzerman has more plans for his roster before the planned start of next season, which the NHL is aiming to be January 1st.
It should be noted that Yzerman drafted Namestnikov when he was GM of the Tampa Bay Lightning back in 2011. The former 27th overall pick should add some versatility up front, seeing that he can play both center and on the wing.
