The Detroit Red Wings will sign free agent left winger Thomas Vanek to a one-year contract worth $3 million.
Red Wings poised to sign UFAs G Jonathan Bernier (3 yrs at around $3M cap hit) and F Thomas Vanek (1 yr, $3M). They almost had Cam Ward on 1 yr but he chose CHI. Rest of $$ goes to re-sign RFAs Dylan Larkin, Anthony Mantha, Andreas Athanasiou.
— Helene St. James (@HeleneStJames) July 1, 2018
Thomas Vanek Signs With the Detroit Red Wings
Over his 13-year NHL career, Vanek has played for the Buffalo Sabres, New York Islanders, Montreal Canadiens, Minnesota Wild, Detroit Red Wings, Florida Panthers, Vancouver Canucks and the Columbus Blue Jackets. He has put up 357 goals and 396 assists for 753 career points in 965 career NHL games. Vanek has added 21 goals and 15 assists for 36 points in 69 career Stanley Cup Playoff games. He was originally drafted in the 1st round, 5th overall of the 2003 NHL Entry Draft by the Buffalo Sabres.
Last season, he scored 24 goals and 32 assists for 56 points. He also added 36 minutes in penalties. His possession numbers were 52.4 percent Corsi-For and a relative Corsi of +2.3.
What This Means for the Future
Vanek is a player that will be consistent on offence. Never scoring less than 40 points in a season, Vanek will give depth and help stabilize a team’s offence. In his long career Vanek has had success anywhere he’s played no matter how long. In his most recent stop in Columbus during the regular season, Vanek played great scoring 15 points in 19 games. The Stanley Cup Playoffs is when Vanek was disappointing in Columbus. Vanek only had two points both came in game one against the Washington Capitals. Vanek was brought into Columbus to help the offence in the postseason and he failed to do so. This was a rare occasion for Vanek have 36 points in 69 career playoff games. Out of Vanek’s 36 career playoff points, 14 of those came on the power-play.
Main Photo: SAN JOSE, CA – FEBRUARY 15: Thomas Vanek #26 of the Vancouver Canucks skates with the puck against the San Jose Sharks at SAP Center on February 15, 2018 in San Jose, California. (Photo by Rocky W. Widner/NHL/Getty Images)
