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Detroit bringing Rome to camp on PTO

AaronRomeDallas

The Detroit Red Wings will have veteran defenseman Aaron Rome in training camp on a professional try out, GM Ken Holland confirmed on Monday.

Rome, 30, was bought out his contract by Dallas this summer after spending the last two seasons with the Stars. His time with the club was marked by upper- and lower-body injuries -- all told, he played in just 52 games (and another eight with AHL Texas).

A physical, stay-at-home defenseman, Rome’s best years came with Vancouver from 2010-12, though he’ll be forever tied to this infamous hit on Nathan Horton during the ’11 Stanley Cup Final:

That hit netted Rome a four-game suspension -- the longest in Cup Final history -- though he did return the following year to score a career-high four goals and 10 points in 43 games for the Canucks.

It’s unclear how good a shot Rome has of cracking the Detroit roster. He could be training camp insurance if the Wings can’t get a deal done with RFA blueliner Danny DeKeyser, and wasn’t the club’s first option for a PTO -- last week, Swiss defenseman Raphael Diaz turned down Detroit’s invite to attend Flames camp.

Rome is also a lefty, and Mike Babcock has repeatedly stressed his desire to bring in a right-handed shot on defense.