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NHL Free Agency rumors: Darren Helm re-signs with Detroit Red Wings

By Dave Stevenson

Apr 21, 2016; Tampa, FL, USA; Detroit Red Wings center Darren Helm (43) shoots as Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman Andrej Sustr (62) defends during the second period of game five of the first round of the 2016 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Amalie Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 21, 2016; Tampa, FL, USA; Detroit Red Wings center Darren Helm (43) shoots as Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman Andrej Sustr (62) defends during the second period of game five of the first round of the 2016 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Amalie Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports /
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According to Aaron Ward, free agent center Darren Helm has decided to re-sign with the Detroit Red Wings. The deal is

After getting rid of Pavel Datsyuk’s cap hit by trading it at the 2016 NHL Draft, the Detroit Red Wings freed up a lot of cap space to make some moves. Aaron Ward is reporting that the Red Wings have re-signed free agent center Darren Helm to a five year deal worth $3.85M per year.

Helm is a very solid third line center caliber player. He brings a lot of speed to the table and he’s quite underrated defensively. Helm had 13 goals and 13 assists with the Red Wings during the 2015-16 regular season. In 443 games, Helm has 72 goals and 90 assists for 162 points.

Detroit needed to upgrade their team, but bringing back Helm isn’t a terrible idea. There’s something to be said about being familiar with a player and the Red Wings know what they’re going to get from Helm.

However, with the departure of Datsyuk, the Red Wings needed to make an upgrade and overpaying for Helm when similar players could be had for a cheaper price certainly hurts their chances of landing someone like Frans Nielsen or David Backes.

For more NHL Free Agency coverage, check out our NHL hub page.

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