Red Wings re-sign Alex Biega to one year extension

Less than an hour after the Red Wings thrilling victory over the Tampa Bay Lightning, Alex Biega and his camp came to terms on an extension to keep him in Detroit. Biega, 31, was slated to become an unrestricted free agent this Summer. The Red Wings acquired the Harvard product back in early October from Vancouver in exchange for AHL prospect David Pope.

Biega is re-signing on a one year contract worth 875K for the 2020-21 season, Puck Pedia has confirmed.

Since being traded to Detroit, Biega has only scored three assists in 47 games, while averaging around 16-17 minutes per game. In an ideal world, Biega is a seventh defenseman who subs in every now and then. Because of the plethora of injuries to Detroit’s blue-line, he’s been vaulted into a regular role.

The above RAPM chart from Evolving Hockey paints the picture that Biega should not be a regular. However, with his given skill-set, an extra man role will do him well.

Compared to his counterpart in David Pope, the Red Wings did very well in this trade. Pope has bounced between the AHL and ECHL this season. At age 25, Pope is not likely to develop into an NHL player. Nabbing a pinch defenseman was good work by Steve Yzerman. Re-signing Biega makes a lot of sense, with the alternative being to sign a more pricey defenseman in free agency.