Happy free agency day!

Some say it’s Ken Holland‘s favourite day of the year because of his eagerness to sign contracts on this day and 2018 is no different! Holland started early as Craig Custance reported that the team inked a deal with unrestricted free agent Thomas Vanek that’s worth $3-million for one year.

Vanek has been jumping around the league lately, signing one year deals and being used as a trade deadline acquisition for teams in a playoff push. Detroit started this trend with him two seasons ago, nabbing an AHL defenseman and a 3rd round draft pick from the Florida Panthers.

Last season, Vanek played in Vancouver and Columbus, amassing 24 goals and 56 points. He added a goal and an assist through the Blue Jackets’ six playoff games against the eventual Cup champs.

Vanek is an offensive minded player who will definitely help the young players on the team find the back of the net. When he played in Detroit two years ago, he created several memorable goals for guys like Dylan Larkin and Andreas Athanasiou. The team is hoping he can do the same this year with Michael Rasmussen and Filip Zadina. There’s not much to his defensive game, so his deployment will largely be in the offensive zone.

I know we’re all looking for the team to get younger and stay away from free agency, but this signing really doesn’t hurt. It’s an opportunity to boost offense for the young up and coming goal scorers and a way to collect assets at the trade deadline. It does further crowd the forward corps, leaving me wondering if there are more moves coming throughout the Summer.

Time will tell, but I really don’t mind this signing, especially for a one-year deal. Stay tuned to WingsNation.com for all the free agency news!

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