According to Brendan Savage of MLive.com the Detroit Red Wings have offered free-agent defenseman Carlo Colaiacovo a two-year contract worth about $2.5 million a season.
This offer comes in the wake of trade rumors involving the Red Wings and defensemen Jay Bouwmeester and Keith Yandle. A trade for either blueliner would likely mean giving up at least a couple players, while signing Colaiacovo would put only a small dent in the $13 million the Red Wings have left in cap space.
Colaiacovo is 29 years old, 6’1″ and tips the scales at 200 pounds. He was drafted 17th overall in the 2001 NHL Entry Draft by the Toronto Maple Leafs. Colaiacovo remained with the Maple Leafs until he was traded to the St. Louis Blues in November, 2008.
In all his years in Toronto, Colaiacovo never played more than 48 games in a season because of injuries. However, as a member of the Blues Colaiacovo remained fairly healthy, playing in at least 64 games in each of the last four seasons.
In 2011-12 Colaiacovo scored two goals and 17 assists for 19 points in 64 games while averaging 19 minutes in ice time. He also registered 73 hits, 81 blocked shots and only 14 giveaways. In 370 career games Colaiacovo has scored 30 goals and 109 assists for 139 points.
Colaiacovo is far from the perfect replacement for Nicklas Lidstrom or Brad Stuart, but he does offer some depth to a Detroit team lacking experienced defensemen. The Red Wings currently have only six defensemen under contract, Niklas Kronwall, Kyle Quincey, Jonathan Ericsson, Ian White, Jakub Kindl and Brendan Smith.
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