JC Reindl, Detroit Free Press
The Detroit Red Wings remain in contact with Thomas Vanek.
Nearly two weeks into free agency, Vanek, 33, is still unsigned, even though he is coming off a good season. A few teams have kicked tires on him, but the sense is he would prefer to come back to Detroit if possible. His agent and the Red Wings are keeping in contact, even as a comeback has hurdles to clear.
For starters, the Red Wings don’t have much in salary cap space, with $5 million earmarked for resigning Tomas Tatar and another million earmarked for resigning Andreas Athanasiou.