The Detroit Red Wings had a busy first day in free agency.
A mostly accurate account of events on Wednesday morning probably looked like Steve Yzerman asking for free agents like J. Jonah Jameson asks for pictures of Spider-Man. Undoubtedly, Mr. Yzerman rolled up his sleeves and at some point uttered the phrase, ‘let’s get down to business’ after chugging down a cup of coffee and smashing the cup in his hand.
As free agency started, Yzerman’s plans were wildly speculated upon. Many thought the Red Wings were a serious contender in the free agent market, with some in the business believing the Wings would add Evgeni Malkin, to various fans dreaming of adding Johnny Gaudreau. I don’t think anyone thought we would see a flurry of moves quite like we saw unfold.
Steve Yzerman unleashed a flurry of moves on the league as Bruce Lee would fists on his opponent. Yzerman’s purpose for unleashing this fury is simple: he said ‘enough’. Giving up eleven goals against Pittsburgh, ten against Toronto, and nine against Arizona was embarrassing and will not happen again this year under his leadership. Enough. He did this by adding a number of free agents.