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NHL Free agency roundup: Stars sign Faksa for 5 years; Wings make another smart move

NHL Free Agency

EDMONTON, ALBERTA - SEPTEMBER 04: Vladislav Namestnikov #90 of the Colorado Avalanche bounce a puck on his stick during warmups prior to Game Seven of the Western Conference Second Round against the Dallas Stars during the 2020 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at Rogers Place on September 04, 2020 in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)

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Checking in with some smaller free agency signings around the NHL...

Red Wings add Vladislav Namestnikov

Steve Yzerman is not going to turn the Detroit Red Wings around overnight, but he is still putting in some solid work this offseason.

He continued that on Sunday by signing one of his former players from his Tampa Bay days, Vladislav Namestnikov, to a two-year contract that will pay him $2 million per season.

In 65 games with the Rangers, Senators, and Avalanche this past season the 27-year-old forward scored 17 goals to go with 14 assists.

He is not a game-changer by any means, but he is a solid veteran that brings some talent to a team that badly needs it on a cheap price. Beyond that, he also gives the Red Wings another potential trade chip to use at the deadline to acquire more draft pick assets. The Red Wings already own nine draft picks in the 2021 class (including three second-rounders) and there is no reason to think they wouldn’t be able to flip him for another one.

Namestnikov was traded twice this past season, each time for a fourth-round pick.

The Red Wings’ offseason has been all about adding solid, veteran players on smaller contracts that could potentially boost their value. Along with Namestnikov, the Red Wings have also added Bobby Ryan, Troy Stecher, Jon Merrill, and Thomas Greiss on short-term deals.

Those five players come in at a salary cap figure of around $9 million combined. They should not only get a solid return on that investment on the ice, there is the potential for some draft pick capital to come back in future trades. Smart moves for a rebuilding team.

[Related: Red Wings sign Bobby Ryan to one-year deal]

Stars lock up Faksa

The Dallas Stars signed one of their top restricted free agents on Sunday when they agreed to terms with forward Radek Faksa on a long-term contract.

Faksa’s deal is a five-year contract that will pay him $16.25 million.

That comes out to a salary cap hit of $3.25 million per season.

Faksa, 27, is a 15-goal, 30-point producer while also being one of the Stars’ top penalty killers and defensive forwards.

With Faksa signed the Stars’ attention now has to turn to their other restricted free agents, Roope Hintz and Denis Gurianov.

Adam Gretz is a writer for Pro Hockey Talk on NBC Sports. Drop him a line at phtblog@nbcsports.com or follow him on Twitter @AGretz.