NHL FREE AGENCY: Wings re-sign Lidstrom
Shanahan will give free agency a try

By the time Nicklas Lidstrom returned to his native Sweden with a fourth Norris Trophy to his name, two things had become clear.

One, he wasn't going to take a pay cut, and two, he wasn't going to handcuff the Red Wings.

The result that worked for both sides was to keep Lidstrom, 36, at the same salary he made last season; he agreed Friday to a two-year deal worth $7.6 million a year. While it sounds like a lot of money, it is as good a "hometown discount" as general manager Ken Holland realistically could have hoped for. And given the increase in the salary cap from $39 million to $44 million, it means the Wings have more to spend elsewhere.

"One of Kenny's arguments all along was that if I take less, we can still be a competitive team and go out and sign another player," Lidstrom said Friday via phone from Sweden. "I wanted to sign with the Wings, but I didn't want to take less than what I was making. I'm pleased with my salary. I never asked for the max. I always felt if I took a little less, we'd still have some flexibility."

The Wings now have 12 players signed for about $30 million, and have made qualifying offers to restricted free-agent regulars Dan Cleary, Johan Franzen and Jason Williams; if they sign their offers, they'd come in at approximately $1.6 million total.

Chris Osgood has been tendered both 1- and 2-year offers (the two-year offer for less money) and his deal could be announced today. Brendan Shanahan, 37, wants to test free agency. The Wings have offered him a raise over the $2.28 million he made last season, but if another team offers him considerably more, there is no way the Wings can match, and they would have to look for a top-six forward via free agency, which begins at noon today.

The top priority, though, now shifts to finding a starting goaltender. The Wings are going to jump into the mix if Oilers playoff hero Dwayne Roloson is still available, and also could pursue Martin Gerber or Ed Belfour; possible trades include Buffalo's Martin Biron and San Jose's Evgeni Nabokov.

Holland also plans to look for an inexpensive, physical defenseman, but an impact player is unlikely because next summer's crop of potential unrestricted free agents includes Pavel Datsyuk, Tomas Holmstrom, Robert Lang and Mathieu Schneider, not to mention Niklas Kronwall, who, though restricted, will be due a raise.

But at least now with Lidstrom done, Holland has a better feel for the structure of the team's payroll.

"I've got a little extra money to do some things," Holland said. "Over the next few days, we'll find out who's available and how much they want."

The Wings would be delighted to hear from Steve Yzerman today, but are prepared to wait all summer if that's how much time he needs to decide if his right knee can handle an 82-game season.

There was no such quandary for Lidstrom. In 14 NHL seasons, he never has had a serious injury; he has missed 20 games total, mostly to rest. He is the model of efficiency, and last season was his best yet, with a career-high 80 points, best among NHL defensemen.

Last week at the NHL Awards in Vancouver, British Columbia, he picked up his fourth Norris Trophy in the past five seasons. In 2001, he became the first European player to win the Norris; the following year, he was named the playoff MVP after winning his third Stanley Cup.