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2010 NHL free agency: Red Wings re-sign Derek Meech

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The Detroit Red Wings have avoided arbitration with their one player eligible for it and retain his services at a bargain-basement kind of price. Tell us all about it Detroit.

Restricted free agent Derek Meech and the Red Wings averted salary arbitration when the defenseman signed a one-year contract to remain with the club.

Meech, who played the last three seasons with the Wings, had filed for salary arbitration earlier this month.

As a role player, the 26-year-old Meech has four goals and 12 assists in 126 regular-season games for the Wings. The versatile defenseman has often filled a valuable role for the team, moving up to play a forward position whenever coach Mike Babcock’s line-up as had a void.

Meech will apparently make a cool $500,000 to be a depth player once again for the Red Wings. Taking the league minimum to be a real team player is a nice thing to do, especially when the arbitration case, should it have come down to that, would’ve been rather amusing to sit in on as Meech’s statistics don’t exactly pan out well in his favor.

Now Detroit’s focus will turn to signing their other two restricted free agents Justin Abdelkader and Darren Helm, both of whom are being counted on for more production next season.