Maybe life won't be so bad in Detroit without coach Mike Babcock.
The Red Wings took two steps toward a 25th consecutive playoff appearance on the first day of free agency by signing defenseman Mike Green to a three-year, $18 million deal and center Brad Richards to an incentive-laden one-year, $3 million contract that could be worth as much as $4 million.
Brad Richards bonus structure: $250,000 if Red Wings win first round, $750,000 more if they win second round of playoffs.
— Ken Campbell (@THNKenCampbell) July 1, 2015
After a 100-point season and seven-game, first-round loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning in the playoffs, the Red Wings appear to have fortified two glaring weaknesses that have existed for years.