Red Wings Re-Sign Johan Franzen

The Detroit Red Wings continued to keep their Stanley Cup core together on Saturday with news that the team has agreed to a contract extension with forward Johan Franzen, as reported by TSN. According to the Red Wings, it's an 11-year deal that will keep Franzen in the motor city through the 2019-20 season.

Originally a third-round draft pick (97th overall) in 2004, Franzen scored just 22 goals during his first two seasons in the league. Over the past two seasons, however, the 6-foot-3, 220-pound power forward has transformed into a monster on skates, scoring 74 goals in 157 games (playoffs included) while also having a knack for putting himself on highlight reels across the league.





That is, when he's actually on the ice. He's played more than 72 games only once in four years, and missed significant time in last year's playoffs due to a concussion. Still, there's no questioning his ability or the fact that he's a perfect fit for Detroit's system.

Reactions are still coming in from around the web, but the people over at the Hockey's Future boards think Red Wings general manager Ken Holland has lost his mind, while the good folks at Abel to Yzerman acknowledge that Holland doesn't mess around when it comes to the players he wants to keep. Frankly, it's hard to second guess what the Red Wings do, as their track record speaks for itself and there always seems to be a method to their madness.

Having said that, in Saturday's edition of the Detroit Free Press, George Sipple wrote that Holland was still attempting to work out deals with Franzen and Marian Hossa, but that all talks would end on Monday if no agreements were reached.

So, now that Franzen is back in the mix, does this mean Hossa will be testing the free agent waters once again on July 1? And if so, where does he end up? Edmonton reportedly offered a truck load of money this past offseason, while Pittsburgh was also willing to break the bank to keep him on Sidney Crosby's wing.

Franzen was also set to become an unrestricted free agent following this season, while his deal comes after the Red Wings locked up reigning Conn Smythe winner Henrik Zetterberg to a 12-year deal earlier this year. Detroit now has Franzen, Zetterberg, Pavel Datsyuk, Valtteri Filppula, and Daniel Cleary under contract for, at least, the next four seasons.