Via the Detroit Red Wings’ Twitter feed and as reported on Fox Sports Detroit Evgeni Nabokov has signed a one-year deal with the club.
Because Nabokov started the year in the KHL, he will have to clear waivers, beginning at noon tomorrow, which means any team in the NHL can make a claim on the 35-year-old goaltender regardless of his contract with Detroit.
The Detroit Free Press reported earlier today that the deal would be worth $570,000, prorated to $250,000, for the rest of the season.
Though his signature is on a contract with Detroit, there's a high probability that Nabokov won't end up in Motown. There are plenty of teams that could use veteran goaltending help, and for $570,000 Nabokov would be quite a deal. One interesting situation would be a return to San Jose, which just placed starter Antero Niittymaki on injured reserve.
There's also the possibility that a rival in the tight Western Conference could snatch him up just to prevent the stacked Wings from picking him up.
Either way, with Chris Osgood out until at least March, it'd be nice to have Nabokov back there if Jimmy Howard suffers another injury. Joey MacDonald's not a bad third option, but he's a career AHLer for a reason.
Loading comments...