It’s been a tough season for Mike Green. After starting the year in outstanding fashion, registering four points in his first game and 11 in his first nine, things didn’t end up where he expected. The Red Wings would fall out of contention rather early, and by the new year it was clear that they would be selling what they could at the trade deadline.
Since Green doesn’t have a contract that extended to next season, his name was an obvious candidate to be moved for some future assets and his strong start made him a desirable target for teams looking to solidify their right side. In January, even with his name being bandied about in trade rumors, he expressed his desire to re-sign in Detroit. In a Luke Fox piece for Sportsnet, Green explained:
I’m happy in Detroit. I enjoy it. It’s an incredible organization. Things are good.
I would love to be [back in Detroit]. Whether that happens, there’s so much uncertainty in this league, you just don’t know.
That uncertainty would affect both sides over the next month, as an injury would scare off any would-be buyers and leave Green stranded in Detroit for the last few months of his contract. The defender would re-enter the lineup, only to require back surgery in late March and be shut down for the season. He’s expected to make a full recovery, but his days in Detroit could be over.
But, should they be? Could Detroit use a player like him over the next few seasons to guide the young players along, logging big minutes to protect some of the youth that will need to fill the defensive ranks? A short-term deal could give them another chance to move him at a trade deadline, provided he doesn’t continue to deteriorate at an accelerated rate.
Or will another team look at him as one of the top options on the free agent market, even despite his injury troubles and lack of production in the second half. We ranked Green #10 on our Midseason Free Agent Power Rankings, but he’ll be a tough player to get a read on this summer since there won’t be any post-surgery playing time to judge.
Where do you think Green will end up? Cast your vote, and explain how much money you think he’ll get in the comment section below.
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I think Green will either stay in Detroit or go back to Washington
A return to Washington is unlikely. The Caps don’t have the cap space. Green isn’t the strongest player defensively, but I can still see defensive starved teams like Buffalo or the Islanders making a play for Green.
I don’t see Green chasing the money. He will sign with a team for less that he can win on or a team he is familiar with
Still don’t see him going to Washington. They have cap issues & really need to find a way to create cap space to re-sign Carlson. If he takes less to go to a contender, maybe he goes to a team like Tampa Bay
I see him staying in Detroit but I hope not we have a log jam of defenseman that need action in nhl to see where there plus Larkin and MANTHA AA all need new contracts witch we might not have the cap space for either though