Detroit Red Wings fans, you can breathe a sigh of relief. Brian Rafalski may have retired earlier this offseason, but another top notch defenseman, a legendary defenseman in fact, will not be hanging up his skates. Nicklas Lidstrom has signed a one year, $6.2 million deal with the Wings, keeping him around for another season.
Normally, a 41-year-old re-signing wouldn't be a cause for much fanfare, but Lidstrom is far from your typical player. Despite being 40 last season, Lidstrom is up for the Norris Trophy after a 62 point season. He's still one of the best defenseman in the entire league, and a vital member of the Red Wings. While he will probably take a slight step back next season, he's not completely invulnerable to the aging process, he should still be one of the better blueliners around.
This is big for Detroit, because had they lost Rafalski and Lidstrom, their defense corps would have taken a huge hit. As it is, they'll still have to replace Rafalski in free agency, which is no small task. Fortunately, players have been known to take less money to sign with the Wings, so they might be able to stick a favorable deal with a top defensive free agent. Regardless of who they end up signing, we'll all be able to watch Lidstrom play for another season, and Wings fan or not, that is a wonderful thing.
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