Red Wings Sign Franzen to 11-Year Contract

The Detroit Red Wings have locked up another important part of their team by signing left wing Johan Franzen to a whopping 11-year contract worth $43.45 million. The deal averages out to $3.95 million per season in what is being called a salary cap-friendly contract. This is the second big contract the Red Wings have given out to one of their star players this season, having re-signed Henrik Zetterberg to a 12-year contract back in January. Both Zetterberg and Franzen would have been unrestricted free agents on July 1. In 71 games this season, Franzen scored 34 goals and 25 assists for 59 points for the defending Stanley Cup champions, also a career season for the 29-year-old forward. This is an excellent signing for the Red Wings, as Franzen has developed into one of their top goal scorers over the past two seasons. He brings lots of goal-scoring ability to the team, as well as some grittiness. Signing him to an 11-year contract is a bit risky if his offensive stats begin to decline in a few years, but his $3.95 million per season is a bargain compared to the $5 million it was expected he could have earned via free agency. With Zetterberg and Franzen now under contract, the Red Wings are focusing their efforts on re-signing impending free agent Marian Hossa. With the Red Wings already pushing close to the salary cap for next season, it will be difficult for the Red Wings to re-sign Hossa and still try to re-sign Jiri Hudler and Mikael Samuelsson, who are also free agents this summer. The Red Wings are a team that's committed to winning and many of the players on the team have accepted less than market value to play for them, so it is possible they could re-sign Hossa for less, but it could come at the expense of sacrificing depth to other areas of the team, particularly their struggling goaltending.