Damien Brunner isn't officially a member of the Detroit Red Wings since he can't sign until July 1, but he has reportedly agreed to a deal with the team. Barring any complications with him getting out of his contract with his team in Switzerland, Brunner should be a Red Wing next season.
Brunner has drawn a lot of interest from teams in the NHL, and the Red Wings sound quite pleased to be the favorite to sign him. While it remains to be seen how his game will translate to the NHL, he's got a lot of potential and has a big fan in Red Wings head coach Mike Babcock, who thinks Brunner is a top-six forward.
"I know a lot about him because I went to the World Championships (in May) and watched him play,'' Babcock said Saturday at the NHL entry draft. "The thing for us is he’s high, high paced, he scored, looks like he has tons of skill.
"Can he adjust and play the North American game? We’re going to give him every opportunity. He’ll be a top-six forward to start with us and see where he goes with us.''
After the Red Wings were eliminated from the playoffs, Babcock cited their lack of forward depth as a big reason behind the early exit. While simply adding Brunner isn't going to solve that issue, it certainly can't hurt to have another top-six type of forward on the roster moving forward.
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