The Detroit Red Wings saw something in Thomas Vanek.
Bought out of the final year of his contract this summer by the Minnesota Wild, the one-time NHL superstar was a free-agency afterthought, passed over and left to sign a one-year "prove it" deal with the Red Wings.
After just six games with his new club, Vanek has already notched seven points - tied for the team lead with new teammates Mike Green and Gustav Nyquist.
It's early, no doubt, but that's a production clip Vanek hasn't reached since his days with the Buffalo Sabres, which included a career-best 84 points in 2006-07.
"We thought on a one-year deal, it was a good gamble. We felt we'd have a motivated athlete," Red Wings general manager Ken Holland said on SiriusXM NHL. "He's produced, he's a big body with a good pair of hands. He's good on the power play.
"We thought on a one-year deal it was a chance for us to hit a home run. In the early going here, he's been everything we could've hoped for."
Making his NHL debut in 2005, Vanek's hit the 20-goal plateau in all but one season. He's also a four-time 30-goal scorer, and he's cracked 40 or more goals twice.
Vanek was among the hottest commodities of the 2014 offseason and landed a three-year, $19.5-million megadeal with the Wild - representing a homecoming of sorts for the Austria-born forward, who spent his development years with the University of Minnesota.
But for one reason or another, things never worked out in Minnesota, with Vanek's production crashing to a full-season career worst last year. He tallied just 41 points, leading the Wild to cut ties before the final year of his contract.
| Season | Team | Games | Points | Pts/GP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012-13 | Buffalo | 38 | 41 | 1.08 |
| 2013-14 | BUF/NYI/MTL | 78 | 68 | 0.87 |
| 2014-15 | Minnesota | 80 | 52 | 0.65 |
| 2015-16 | Minnesota | 74 | 41 | 0.55 |
| 2016-17 | Detroit | 6 | 7 | 1.17 |
This summer, the Red Wings offered Vanek an opportunity to rebuild his game and his name.
"I wanted Thomas Vanek on this team," coach Jeff Blashill told Nicholas Cotsonika of NHL.com. "He brings an elite offensive ability that's hard to get when you don't draft high."
The Red Wings, of course, haven't drafted in the top 10 since 1991 - victims of their own success, having captured four Stanley Cups between 1997 and 2008.
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