The Red Wings didn’t sign Dan Cleary until the eleventh hour last fall and the move largely didn’t pay off. All the same, Detroit is once again in contract talks with Cleary.
Interestingly enough, that could be the Red Wings making good on a verbal agreement they had with Cleary when he signed them them rather than take more money with the Philadelphia Flyers, according to the Detroit Free Press. They reportedly promised Cleary to take care of him beyond the 2013-14 campaign even though he only signed a one-year deal.
Cleary still might end up losing a lot of money by passing on the Flyers’ contract though, which was reportedly worth $8.25 million over three seasons. After he recorded just eight points in 52 contests, Detroit might only offer him a two-way deal.
Cleary is 35 years old and has spent the last nine seasons with the Red Wings. He’s also just 79 games away from reaching the 1,000-mark.