Defenseman Kyle Quincey is officially back with the Detroit Red Wings. As a restricted free agent, Quincey wasn't really going anywhere in the first place, especially after he filed for arbitration earlier this month. On Wednesday, his return became official with him agreeing to a two-year deal, according to Ansar Khan.
Wings have signed defenseman Kyle Quincey to a two-year deal, avoiding arbitration. Waiting to hear the figure.
— Ansar Khan (@AnsarKhanMLive) July 18, 2012
Quincey and the Red Wings had an arbitration date scheduled for July 25. The two sides were able to continue negotiating before the arbitration date, and with a deal now in place, it won't be necessary to have the hearing.
Quincey, who began his career with the Red Wings, rejoined the team during the 2011-12 season after being traded for a first-round pick. The Red Wings were looking to improve their depth on defense for the stretch run and plan ahead for this offseason.
With the Red Wings losing both Nicklas Lidstrom and Brad Stuart and missing out on Ryan Suter, it was important for them to re-sign Quincey. He won't be able to match the talent of any of those players, but strictly from a depth standpoint, the Red Wings needed to bring him back, which says a lot about the current state of their defense.
UPDATE: Quincey's deal is worth $7.55 million over two seasons, meaning he will have a cap hit of $3.775 million a season.
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