In a summer that saw them acquire Daniel Alfredsson and Stephen Weiss through free agency, the Red Wings took care of one of their own on Tuesday, agreeing to a two-year, $1.9 million deal with 23-year-old forward Gustav Nyquist.
Nyquist, a restricted free agent, wasn’t going anywhere. The Wings have said all offseason that they would sign him, although it took a little longer than many expected.
A college standout at the University of Maine, Detroit drafted Nyquist in the fourth round (121st overall) in 2008. He's smart, skilled and a terrific skater with an offensive upside, which has the Wings encouraged that he'll blossom into a top-six forward at the NHL level.
A natural center, Nyquist made a seamless transition to the wing in Detroit. In 22 games for the Red Wings last season, Nyquist had three goals, three assists and six penalty minutes. He added two goals and three assists and was a plus-3 in 14 playoff games
The only potential draw back to Nyquist's game is his size. At 5 feet 11 and 185 pounds, the slight Swede will need to beef up to stay successful at the NHL level.
With Nyquist signed, the Wings have 25 players on their roster -- two above the 23-man limit -- and they're over the salary cap by roughly $600,000. However, they'll have the entire preseason to trim players and budget.
