Red Wings sign defenseman Kent Huskins, finally fill void left by Nicklas Lidstrom
(Sometimes we write sarcastic headlines.)
The Detroit Red Wings signed a free-agent defenseman on Tuesday, and were keeping things really hush-hush about it. Which naturally built up the mystery to hyperbolic proportions. Which naturally led to a inevitable letdown when it was announced that GM Ken Holland had inked veteran Kent Huskins.
The Wings obviously needed some help on the blue line. Nicklas Lidstrom retired and Brad Staurt went off in San Jose in the offseason. Carlo Colaiacovo could be out “weeks” and Jonathon Ericsson was getting an injured hip tested today. The Wings needed a veteran body.
By no means is Huskins a replacement for any of those names. But for 1 year at $750,000, according to Ansar Khan of Mlive.com, one can do worse. He’s expected to play for the Wings tonight against the Dallas Stars.
Huskins signed with the St. Louis Blues last season on a 1-year deal. He had ankle surgery in November that derailed his season a bit, after starting the year as Alex Pietrangelo’s partner. By the time the Blues where in the playoffs, Huskins was a seventh defenseman.
One of his best assets is championship experience: He played on the Anaheim Ducks’ Stanley Cup winner in 2007, and has appeared in the playoffs in all but one of his five NHL seasons.
So there you go: Kent Huskins to the rescue.
