The Red Wings have extended a restricted free agent, but not one of the two most Detroit fans are fixated on.  Per Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet, the Red Wings and 24-year-old forward Joe Veleno avoided arbitration by coming to an agreement on a two-year extension, worth $2.275 million per season.

A short-term deal (either one or two years) was always the likeliest outcome for Veleno, and he and Detroit both benefit from avoiding the inevitable ugliness of arbitration and with an added year of term on the new deal.  He set career highs in goals (12), assists (16), and points (28), but now his career has reached something of an inflection point.  For the time being, he makes sense to keep around if only because he’s a homegrown affordable option, but by the end of this contract, Veleno will likely have to do more to prove he is worthy of the Red Wings’ long-term plans.

Connor Earegood wrote about Veleno’s future in Detroit, highlighting the sense that his task on his coming contract will be to find a way to become indispensable to the Red Wings long-term future, rather than just an affordable depth piece.  As Connor put it:

“[S]o long as Veleno has a contract, he has an opportunity to prove he should stick around. His defensive play is adequate enough that he should find himself in the lineup most nights, which should be valuable to a Red Wings team that has repeatedly said it wants to defend better next season. If checking and battling is the path to success, then Veleno should be in a position to make a greater impact than he did under last season’s wide-open offensive style. He’ll also have more help from his linemates, with defensively responsible Tyler Motte expected to play alongside him on the fourth line instead of the defensively neglectful Daniel Sprong. This isn’t to say that Veleno will be completely off the hook for depth scoring, but rather there’s a way he can be a positive influence without lighting up the box score. By becoming an even better defender, he can make himself more important to Detroit.”

There are multiple paths to Veleno assuring his future in Detroit.  He could further embrace the role of checking center, earning harder minutes and proving his worth on the penalty kill.  Perhaps he could move to the wing and contribute a bit more offense farther up the lineup.

Veleno has clearly earned trust from the Red Wings coaching staff and front office, or else he wouldn’t have received a two-year deal.  Now, the chance is Veleno’s to run with the opportunity the contract affords.  Meanwhile, the deal leaves Detroit with $17,648,194 in cap space with which to sign its two remaining restricted free agents Moritz Seider and Lucas Raymond.