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DETROIT (AP) #8212;The Detroit Red Wings signed Niklas Kronwall(notes) to a seven-year,$33.25 million contract and gave general manager Ken Holland one fewer move toworry about.Detroit #8217;s deal keeps the 30-year-old defenseman off the market next summer. #8220;He could #8217;ve been an unrestricted free agent that we couldn #8217;t have trulyreplaced, #8221; Holland said Monday night. #8 footballgames 220;He wanted to be here and we reallywanted him to stay. We #8217;ve known him since he was 18 years old and we know whathe brings to the table physically and mentally. #8221;Detroit drafted the hard-hitting Swede with the 29th overall pick in 2000and he was a key player for the franchise #8217;s 2008 Stanley Cup team.He was named an assistant captain this season and will be counted on foreven mo footballgames re leadership when 41-year-old defenseman Nicklas Lidstrom(notes) retires.Kronwall has a goal and an assist in nine games this season. He has 35 goals,including a career-high 11 last season, and 183 points over 394 games.Kronwall is in what #8217;s known as the Triple Gold Club with an Olympic goldmedal, world championship and Stanley Cup title. #8220;He can play physical, he can help on the power footballgames play and you can put him inany situation, #8221; Holland said. #8220;If you look around, you can #8217;t find too manydefensemen that can do that. We #8217;re really glad he #8217;s not going to be on themarket for another team. #8221;Detroit retains Kronwall for slightly less money overall and for one moreyear than a comparable player, defenseman James Wisniewski(notes). The Columbus BlueJacket footballgames s gave the 27-year-old Wisniewski $33 million over six years to keep himfrom becoming an unrestricted free agent last summer. Play Fantasy Hockey, now with Pro Leagues! And follow Yahoo! Sports' NHL coverage on Twitter. Updated 2 hours, 29 minutes ago footballgames
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