Detroit Red Wings

With Zach Parise locked up in Minnesota for the next 10 years, the list of remaining free agent power forwards has trickled down to only a handful, and the Red Wings are looking for someone to fill in a gap without having to sacrifice their own players in a trade for a forward still locked in a contract.

According to a report from Michael Russo of the Star Tribune, unrestricted free agent Zach Parise has returned to his native Minnesota and has not yet made a decision on where he will sign.

It had been assumed that Parise's decision had been made when it was announced that he would meet with reporters on Monday afternoon. Parise merely told reporters that a decision had not been made and that he would not put a deadline on when he would choose.

The teams rumored to be in the running for Parise are the New Jersey Devils, the Chicago Blackhawks, the Philadelphia Flyers, the Pittsburgh Penguins, the Detroit Red Wings, and his hometown Minnesota Wild.

Something has got to give. The Detroit Red Wings made four signings today, two of which are forwards. This is a strange predicament the Red Wings are in. They have $17 million left in cap space and are still in on the Zach Parise sweepstakes.

Parise will likely make a decision by tomorrow, but with Jiri Hudler out of the picture, the Red Wings still need a top line winger, which might come in the form of Parise or Alex Semin (or possibly Hudler, although unlikely).

The Jordin Tootoo and Mikael Samuelsson signings give Detroit 16 forwards under contract, not including Justin Abdelkader, who is an RFA, or Tomas Holmstrom, who is UFA.

In a league where you usually dress 12 forwards a game, 16 is too many. Factor in a spot for Abdelkader and a Parise type player, and that's 18 forward spots. What is Ken Holland going to do?

Goaltender Jonas Gustavsson has signed a two year deal with the Detroit Red Wings for $3 million a year. The cap hit is a modest $1.5 million.

Gustavsson played last year with the Toronto Maple Leafs, posting a 17-17-4 record with a 2.92 goals against average and a .902 save percentage.

Gustavsson signed with the Leafs in the summer of 2009, and if anyone remembers, the Red Wings were one of the teams in the mix for him.

Jimmy Howard will start next season, but Gustavsson will push him for games. Joey MacDonald is also in the mix, but 'The Monster' will most likely push him out of the way. MacDonald has back issues and a one way contract, and if Gustavsson beats him out of the backup role, MacDonald will be waiver to Grand Rapids.

Gustavsson's first choice was to go to Detroit. His rights were traded to Winnipeg a few days ago, but nothing transpired.