Brunnstrom tells Wings no
Somehow or other it always appears the Red Wings get the player they want. This time, though, it looks like they won't. Swedish prospect Fabian Brunnstrom, 23, an unrestricted free agent who blossomed as a prospect over the last two seasons, appears close to signing with Vancouver. General manager Ken Holland said the Wings were informed over the weekend from Brunnstrom's representatives that Brunnstrom wouldn't be signing with the Wings. "I suppose it largely comes down to opportunity, and he feels he may a better opportunity somewhere else," Holland said. Reports out of Vancouver the last few days say Brunnstrom's agent J.P. Barry and Canucks general manager Dave Nonis are working out the final details to a three-year entry-level contract. An estimated 20 teams pursued Brunnstrom with Vancouver, Detroit and Anaheim presumed to be the finalists. With attainable bonuses, Brunnstrom could earn close to $2 million per season. The Wings were willing to go that far financially, but weren't willing ot make guarantees on playing time or even staying with the Wings rather than being sent to Grand Rapids. Vancouver, on the other hand, is telling Brunnstrom he'll be playing with the Daniel and Henrik Sedin. The Canucks were the first team to show interest in Brunnstrom (6-1, 203 pounds) and have been persistent in their pursuit since then. 2) And this from Washington. The Washington Capitals have become Russia's Team in these NHL playoffs. The Red Wings used to hold that designation when Sergei Fedorov, Slava Kozlov, Slava Fetisov, Igor Larionov and Vladimir Konstantinov skated for the Red Wings during Stanley Cup years in 1997 and 1998. But instead of that Russian Five, the current Russian Four in Washington has spurred interest. The presence of Fedorov, Most Valuable Player candidate Alexander Ovechkin, Alexander Semin and Viktor Kozlov and made the Capitals Russia's favorite team. Six Russian media outlets requested credentials for the Capitals series against Philadelphia last weekend in Washington. "The Washington Capitals have officially become Russia's most popular team outside of Russia," Slava Malamud, a U.S.-based correspondent for Russian sports publication Sport Express, told The Washington Post. "It could even be Russia's most popular hockey team, period, because everyone roots for them. Every year, Russians follow the NHL playoffs, hoping that a team with a lot of Russians will get knocked out so they can play in the World Championships. This year, they love the Caps so much, fans don't care about the national team."
