With today’s news that Todd Bertuzzi is also returning to the Red Wings (along with Jason Williams), it makes me feel like Kenny’s getting the band back together from a few years ago.  All we need now is to sign Robert Lang… oh, right.  Nevermind.

At any rate, it’s interesting to think about what the plan is for the 2009-2010 team.  Adding Bertuzzi gives Detroit 13 forwards, which begs the question, what does this mean for the GR kids, Helm and Leino?  We knew already that Abdelkader was almost certainly destined for another season in Grand Rapids, where he can play 20 minutes a night as opposed to 6.  Leino’s up.  Helm will be up, or so help me God.

McLeod’s got a good better look on the Bertuzzi signing:

“He brings experience, size, the potential to score some goals,” said Holland. “By signing an NHL guy, there’s more depth and options available for (coach) Mike Babcock. And if there are injuries, we have more depth up front.”

…

The addition of Bertuzzi gives the Red Wings enough depth at forward to let second-year pro Justin Abdelkader develop in Grand Rapids. Abdelkader can go back and forth between the NHL and AHL without having to clear waivers.

So Detroit has added Patrick Eaves, Williams, and now Bertuzzi.  Some of the signings, the last two in particular, have a lot of people rolling their eyes, I’m sure.  I’m not going to doubt what Ken Holland is thinking, though.  He’s quietly picking up pieces that he think will fit, and will probably sit back and laugh to himself when it all works out perfectly.

They got the big fish free agent last year with Marian Hossa, and we saw how that ended up.  Maybe it’s a good thing to get back to the Red Wings way of turning reclamation projects and guys at the tail end of their careers into cogs that work effectively in the Big Red Machine.  They cost relatively little, and can turn out to give a lot more than what you got them for.  Also consider the possibility of one of them turning into trade bait come early March, particularly if their stats perk up.

I can’t wait for the Red Wings to hit the ice.

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