Red Wings ink goaltender Thomas Greiss on day two of free agency

The Detroit Red Wings have found their replacement for the departed Jimmy Howard in 34-year-old Thomas Greiss at the start of day two of free agency on Saturday.

According to Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman, the deal is a two-year pact at $3.6M per season, which is similar to the deal we saw reached between the Dallas Stars and Anton Khudobin, who is similar in both age and production, although "Dobby" does have a slight advantage.

The deal may look a bit rich on the surface, but when you factor in the fact that the Red Wings are not expected to be a cap team over the next few seasons, as they navigate through a rebuild under new General Manager Steve Yzerman, the deal is exactly what the Wings need. A veteran goaltender who can split time with fellow veteran Jonathan Bernier, and who carries an extra year on his contract so that the Wings are not handcuffed after next season if Bernier and minor-league goaltender Calvin Pickard walk in free agency.

Greiss has a .915 SV% to go along with a 2.63 GAA over his 282-game NHL career, primarily all of which was played in a backup capacity - although more recently, during his time with the Isles, Griess has been used in more of a 1B role.

The Wings, who also signed Bobby Ryan on day one of free agency, have done well in acquiring veterans to fill short-term needs, providing the team's very deep prospect pool some time to develop without having to be thrust into the rigors of the NHL ahead of schedule. Contracts such as Sam Gagner, Marc Staal and the aforementioned Bobby Ryan give the Wings a buffer, allowing Filip Zadina, Moritz Seider, Joseph Veleno and the newly drafted Lucas Raymond among others, to focus on tightening up their games and improve their strength and conditioning prior to making the jump to the NHL.

The Red Wings may not be finished yet, as the club still has over $22M in available cap space, however, the club is still working on contracts for RFA forwards Anthony Mantha, Tyler Bertuzzi and Dmytro Timashov.

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