JT Compher signs with Red Wings; 5/$25.5M

and....stevie-y is still at it:

The Red Wings have added defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere on a one-year, $4.125 million deal  this was later on, yesterday

this one from today: Versatile forward Christian Fischer joins the parade of talent headed to Detroit this offseason, inking a one-year, $1.25 million deal with the Red Wings..

I don't mind the signing. UFA market isn't the greatest so pickings are slim. With that said, its most certainly an overpayment. $5+mil for him is a bit much for 17 goals and 52 points, which I believe are career highs on a pretty good team. If this was a 2 or 3 year deal, 5 mil would be easier to swallow.

He or Copp is going to be 2c or 3c, but they could have brought back Pius Suter for less money and term to get similar results. Now maybe they wanted a right handed center, but they definitely over payed 

Not sure if DeBrincat or Nylander are options, but this team is in desperate need of a 35+ goal scorer. Leave Bert alone, he'll be a LTIR candidate before his next contract is over if its a long term deal.

I guess this doesn't move the needle much for me. We need goal-scoring, though it seems like we are prioritizing defense for the time being -- not a surprise with Stevie at the helm. Team needs a bona fide first-line scorer, though. 

I wouldn't be surprised if this year is considered another "building" -- I hesitate to say rebuilding -- year, since the trades at the deadline last year, though most likely helpful long-term, set the team back a little in the short-term. I thought we could sneak into the playoffs last year, and it seemed like that was possible until the Ottawa games and the subsequent trades. I suppose those games exposed our lack of physicality and made a playoff appearance kind of moot. 

Regardless, I'd like to see some improvement this year, both in record and in physicality / defense.