A few Detroit Red Wings players went into this offseason considering retirement. Defenseman Brian Rafalski, for example, already announced he has retired from professional hockey. Fellow defenseman Nicklas Lidstrom could do the same thing, but he has not made a decision just yet.
Goaltender Chris Osgood also went into the offseason considering retirement, but he has since decided he wants to play for one more season, as reported by the Detroit News.
Rollie Thompson, Osgood's agent, told Red Wings general manager Ken Holland late last week the veteran goaltender would like to extend his career one more season.
The interesting thing about this situation is the decision to return doesn't mean Osgood will for sure be back with the Red Wings. General manager Ken Holland hasn't committed to re-signing Osgood, who dealt with injuries throughout the 2010-11 season.
Holland plans on discussing the matter with the front office, coaches and scouts later this month, but for now Osgood's status for next season is up in the air. If Joey MacDonald hadn't done so well as the backup toward the end of the season, I think it would be an easy decision to re-sign Osgood. MacDonald filled in quite admirably, though, and it's possible he could have earned the backup job for next season over Osgood.
For the Red Wings, deciding what to do with Osgood will ultimately come down to what makes the most sense for the team. Taking emotion out of the equation, the Red Wings have to figure out if re-signing Osgood is the right move for the team next season.