The Detroit Red Wings got busy early in free agency. But, with a class so weak and so top-heavy, it’s not shocking to see them try to find the players they want early on in the summer. The team has handed out a multi-year contract for the second year in a row.
The Detroit Red Wings agreed to a five-year contract with forward JT Compher, carrying a cap hit of $5.1 million, with a total value of $25.5 million overall. The 28-year-old forward will look to join the Red Wings and be part of the solution as the team tries to enter an era of competition, though signs are pointing toward another year of being “on the cusp” as of now.
Compher was given a similar contract to what the Red Wings did with Andrew Copp last season. The hope seems to be that Compher will come into the team’s forward core and be a staple in the top six.
The forward has played the last seven seasons with the Colorado Avalanche; he’s coming across the country to Detroit. Steve Yzerman seems to think that he will be able to provide some value on the wing.
Detroit Red Wings sign JT Compher to a 5-year deal.
Compher is coming off his best season in the NHL. The 2022-23 season saw Compher play in all 82 games, where he scored 17 goals and added 35 assists for 52 points. This was his best season total of his career by about 20 points.
The Red Wings are seemingly hoping that Compher will be able to find that type of performance in a red-and-white jersey. Even after a big season like he had in 2022-23, there will be some pressure to consistently tap into that type of performance.
After all, Compher is a 28-year-old winger who is not getting any younger. So the five-year deal banking on a consistency like they have done with Copp worries me slightly. But the Red Wings seem to think that they’ve got something.
It will be interesting to see where Compher is slotted in and how he is used within the forward core, but the Red Wings seemed to think that they could lock him up and keep him around for the next few years, getting good use from the left-handed shooting winger.
The Red Wings just need to see production out of him out of the gates. While I was very “up” on Copp last year, I’m a little more hesitant about them bringing in Compher this year. But it’s too early to worry, so hopefully, Compher can make an early impact with the Red Wings.