With a dark cloud looming over the NHL and the Sept. 15 lockout deadline draws closer, general manager Ken Holland and the Detroit Red Wings are still taking things slow when it comes to adding new players through free agency.
"We’re not close to signing anybody," Holland admitted to Red Wings Front Tuesday. "There are some veteran defensemen out there looking for an opportunity. I’m having conversations."
Holland, whose team is $13 million under the salary cap at the moment, currently has six defenders under contract heading into the season: Niklas Kronwall, Jonathan Ericsson, Kyle Quincey, Ian White, Jakub Kindl and Brendan Smith.
In addition to Carlo Colaiacovo, a 29-year-old defender who was reportedly offered a two-year deal by the Red Wings last week, names like Philadelphia's Pavel Kubina and Michal Rozsival from Phoenix are each also readily available on the market. By choosing to hold off on filling his final two defensive spots before the salary cap adjustment is known, Holland will be in prime position should a second-tier defender end up getting cut due to a salary squeeze.
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