Frans Nielsen appealed for his versatile, 200-foot game and reputation for hard work. Thomas Vanek appealed as a former 40-goal scorer. Steve Ott appealed for his grit.
The Detroit Red Wings came away from opening day of free agency with a pair of Europeans hired to fill the void left by Pavel Datsyuk and a local former first-roun pick hired to agitate.
Nielsen was the first to sign, minutes after the market opened at noon.
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“With the departure of Datsyuk, I saw a good fit for me here,” Nielsen said.