Red Wings add Thomas Greiss and Troy Stecher

Steve Yzerman continued to improve the Red Wings’ roster on Day 2 of free agency.

First, he inked goaltender Thomas Greiss to a two-year deal with a cap hit of $3.6 million. Next, he added defenceman Troy Stetcher on a two-year deal worth $1.7 million annually.

Greiss will be a big upgrade in net over Jimmy Howard. He posted a .913 save percentage with the Islanders and is one year removed from winning the Jennings Trophy along with Robin Lehner for the goaltending tandem that allowed the fewest goals against.

He’s been a solid tandem goaltender in New York for years now, posting excellent numbers while splitting the net with Jaroslav Halak, Lehner, and Semyon Varlamov. Greiss and Jonathan Bernier should be a decent combination in net for the Wings.

And then there’s Stecher, a very underrated two-way defender. He got shoved down the depth chart in Vancouver last year but Stecher has averaged nearly 20 minutes per night in the past and has consistently posted quality underlying numbers.

The additions of Stecher and Jon Merrill over the past couple of days gives Detroit some much-needed quality depth on their blueline.