To Keep Up With Quickening Game, Red Wings Bring Back Helm

By: Will Burchfield
@burchie_kid

It's no secret that the NHL is becoming a speed-driven league, with the fastest teams leaving the slowpokes in the dust. (See: Penguins, Pittsburgh; 2016.)

And it is for that reason that the Red Wings resigned Darren Helm today, just hours before he was set to become an unrestricted free agent. The deal will pay Helm $3.85 million annually over the next five years.

Steep for a player who scored just 13 goals and 26 points last year? Sure, but remember that Helm spent a good portion of the season playing on the team's fourth line. In that context, those numbers are actually pretty impressive.

When Helm initially rebuffed the Wings' attempts to re-sign him earlier this offseason, it was due to a financial gap, yes, but also Helm's uncertainty of where he fit in on this team. After playing heavy top-six minutes under Mike Babcock, the speedy forward took a much less significant role with Jeff Blashill behind the bench. Before coming back to Detroit, it seemed, Helm wanted to make sure he wouldn't be an afterthought on the team's roster.

If the extension is any indication, the Wings assured Helm of a more important role moving forward. And that's a good thing for both player and team.

Helm is as quick as just about anyone in the NHL, which is by far his greatest asset as a player. His speed allows him to retrieve pucks on the forecheck, carry play through the neutral zone and wreak havoc on the penalty kill. He's even logged some power play time of late. His stickhandling leaves something to be desired – Helm is to breakaways as Andre Drummond is to free throws – but if speed kills in today's NHL, Helm is an assassin.

Let's reconsider the Penguins for a moment. Though the hiring of Mike Sullivan certainly turned their season around, Pittsburgh really took off when they called up players like Conor Sheary and Bryan Rust. Neither Sheary nor Rust will impress you with their size or skill, but they can both skate like the wind. The were disruptive little pests, complete headaches to play against, and the Penguins were better for it.

And that's Helm's value to the Wings.

Whether or not that kind of game is worth $3.85 million per year for five years is a fair question. Just know that Helm was certainly going to command that kind of money on the open market, so this was the price the Wings had to pay to retain him.

On top of bringing back Helm, Detroit has also resigned defenseman Alexey Marchenko.

That leaves them with just over $12.5 million in cap space heading into free agency (which begins Friday at noon.) The Wings are believed to have the inside track on Frans Nielsen, who, at somewhere between $5.5-$6 million per season, would be a great addition. After that, GM Ken Holland needs to figure out the goaltending situation – Mrazek? Howard? Mrazek and Howard? – and fill out the remaining spots on the roster.

But re-signing Helm was a good first move on free-agency Friday. The terms might seem heavy, but they were dictated by the pace of the game.