Mike Green gets three-year $18 million contract with Red Wings
And the top offensive defenseman of unrestricted free agency is off the market.
The Detroit Red Wings have signed former Caps blueliner Mike Green for three years at $6 million per-season. That’s slightly less than his prior contract, which was for three years at $6.083 million per-year.
That’s an interesting deal for the 29-year-old Green – a power play specialist who averaged 19:06 of ice-time per-game last season – his lowest total since the 2006-07 season. But as Japers' Rink notes, Green wasn’t forced to try to play more defensively like prior coaches.
New bench boss Barry Trotz tried to accentuate Green’s offensive skills.
The result? His most productive offensive season since 2009-10, with 45 points on the year... a far cry from his career high of 76, of course, but his best mark since and the second-most among Caps' blueliners. That total also put him into the top-20 among NHL defensemen, tied with Duncan Keith and Shea Weber (each of whom played more games over the course of the season)
Is Green the offensive monster who had 76 points in 75 games with Washington in 2009-10? Not anymore. But he’s still effective. And $6 million for a player in 2015 isn’t quite the same mega deal as it was a few years ago.
The Caps had the NHL’s top power play last year at 25.3 percent. Detroit was No. 2 at 23.8 percent. Last season Green’s SAT differential was at plus-89, per the NHL’s enhanced stats site. His STA Rel % at 1.6. The previous year his SAT Rel % was at plus-4.6
“We want to thank Mike for 10 great seasons with the Washington Capitals. Mike was an ultimate professional in his long tenure with our organization and had a huge impact on our community. We wish Mike all the best with the Detroit Red Wings organization,” the Caps said in a statement.
This helps sets the market for Cody Franson – another unrestricted free agent offensive defenseman. Then again if history is a guide, we may wait a while for Franson to sign. Andrej Sekera signed earlier with Edmonton at six years for $5.5 million per-year, which is another guide for Franson.
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Josh Cooper is an editor for Puck Daddy on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at puckdaddyblog@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @joshuacooper
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