Detroit Red Wings and Steve Yzerman finally give up on a goalie, place him on waivers to terminate his contract
The Detroit Red Wings have tried to solidify their goaltending situation since Steve Yzerman arrived in Detroit. One of Yzerman's first moves was to address his goalie situation by adding Alex Nedeljkovic via trade from the Carolina Hurricanes. That move wasn't as successful as hoped, so Yzerman this past summer signed two goalies to NHL contracts.
Most notably Yzerman signed Ville Husso to a 3-year contract worth $4,750,000 per season. Yzerman also added Finnish Olympic Gold Medalist Jussi Olkinuora. Olkinuora signed with the Red Wings on June 14th to a 1-year deal worth $750,000 for the season.
Olkinuora was hoping to make his long awaited jump to the NHL, but instead he has found himself limited to an unsuccessful backup role in the AHL. In 15 games, Olkinuora has a record of 6-8-0 with a save percentage of .868 and a 3.75 goals against average. Today, Yzerman ended all hopes of Jussi turning his season around and placed him on unconditional waivers, for purposes of terminating his deal.
If Olkinuora clears waivers he is expected to return to Finland to continue his career. This move likely opens up a spot in the American Hockey League for one of the Red Wing's top prospects, Sebastian Cossa.
| POLL | ||
Will Steve Yzerman lead the Red Wings to a Stanley Cup in the next 5 years? | ||
| Yes, he will | 290 | 59.5 % |
| No, he won't | 197 | 40.5 % |
| List of polls | ||
