Chelios close to re-signing with Wings

From Helene St. James of the Detroit Free Press:

General manager Ken Holland said Tuesday that the two had a very positive meeting about how Chelios would fit into next year’s lineup, which really was the only stumbling block to negotiating a new deal. The Wings wanted to make sure Chelios, 46, would not balk at being a healthy scratch for probably around half the season’s 82 games.

“We had a real good talk about what I saw as his role,” Holland said. “He wants to come back for another year, so I would say we’re very close on a contract. The biggest thing was discussing his role — the contract is not an issue.

Read the entire article here.

He will most likely take more games off this season because of the Wings’ solid young defensive depth, but his presence in the dressing room and around the team is very positive. It is amazing to see the 46 year old still going strong.