Wings Sign Three as Roster Takes Shape

The Detroit Red Wings announced on Tuesday the signings of defenseman Andy Delmore and forwards Jason Williams and Darryl Bootland. The all three agreed to one-year deals.

Delmore, a native of Windsor, Ontario, is likely to share time on the Wings’ third defensive pair with Jamie Rivers and Chris Chelios. In seven seasons of NHL experience – most recently with the Buffalo Sabres – he has played 276 games, scoring 43 goals and adding 58 assists.

He entered the NHL after signing as a free agent with the Philadelphia Flyers for the 1998-99 season.

Williams returns to Detroit for his fourth NHL season, all with the Red Wings. He accepted the one-year qualifying offer that the Red Wings made to him as a restricted free agent, allowing him to become unrestricted following the 2005-06 season.

He has played in 95 career NHL games, scoring 17 goals and 15 assists. He spent the cancelled 2004-05 season playing with Assat Pori of the Finnish League, where he led his team in scoring.

Bootland looks to crack the Red Wings’ lineup after appearing in 22 games with the team in 2003-04. He spent the last three seasons in the AHL with the Grand Rapids Griffins.

The signings give the Red Wings 20 players under contract for the 2005-06 season, with three notable restricted free agents – Pavel Datsyuk, Henrik Zetterberg, and Niklas Kronwall – still unsigned.