Wings sign Brunnstrom to tryout

The Detroit Red Wings, who were interested in signing Fabian Brunnstrom when he came over from Switzerland three years ago, apparently are still willing to take a chance on him. If you looking NHL Free Picks here…

The Detroit News reports that the Wings have signed Brunnstrom to a pro tryout with an invitation to training camp.

“It’s about competition, and if he comes in and plays better than someone else, we’ll find a place (for him),” Wings’ assistant GM Jim Nill told the paper. “Things probably haven’t gone as he would have liked, but this is an opportunity.”

Brunnstrom was courted by a host of teams before he signed as a free agent with the Dallas Stars in 2008, but he failed to live up to expectations. The 26-year-old had a hat trick in his NHL debut, but finished the NHL season with 17 goals and 12 assists in 55 games.

After scoring just twice goals in 44 games the following season, Brunnstrom was traded to the Toronto Maple Leafs and spent last season with the AHL’s Marlies, scoring four times and adding 10 assists.

“The big thing is consistency, we want to see consistency out of him,” Nill told the News. “He understands now what it takes to be a pro at this level. He maybe didn’t understand that coming out of Sweden.

“He’s in the same boat that Mikael Samuelsson or Danny Cleary were — guys coming in on pro tryouts. It worked out for those guys.”

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