Aside from the occasional Pavel Datsyuk breakthrough, the Detroit Red Wings generally eschewed the Russian-infused Fedorovs for the Swedish-born Zetterbergs of the hockey world over the last couple decades.
In the somewhat unlikely event that the well-known goalie would clear waivers, the Red Wings could infuse their team with another prominent Russian talent, as various sources including Darren Dreger report that the team is in discussions to sign Evgeni Nabokov. The reports make sense considering how banged up the team’s goalies are right now, with Chris Osgood, Jimmy Howard and Thomas McCollum facing injuries of varying severity.
Obviously, there are a few things to consider as the rumors swirl. The two biggest factors are that a) teams higher in the waiver order will probably be interested in Nabokov and b) the Red Wings have very limited cap space, so the potentially cheap deal they could hand out would make a) even more desirable.
In other words, if the Red Wings do strike a deal with the unemployed goalie, they really might just be negotiating for teams like the Ottawa Senators and New York Islanders. Naturally, this situation is still in the rumor stage anyway, but it could be very interesting. We’ll keep you updated.
If Kyle Wellwood could produce some waiver wire drama, imagine what Nabokov could do?