"Thomas has been a prolific scorer throughout his career and we're excited to add his offence and experience to help with the continued growth of our forwards," said Benning. "His skill and ability to contribute on the scoresheet, combined with his lead-by-example style will help our team this year, and will benefit our younger players as they continue to develop their game."
Thomas Vanek, 33, recorded 48 points (17-31-48) in 68 games split between Florida (2-8-10 in 20 games) and Detroit (15-23-38 in 48 games). His 15 goals ranked seventh among Red Wings skaters on the season. Since entering the League in 2006.07, the 6-2, 218-pound forward has ranked 10th in goals (333) and second in powerplay goals (129).
In 885 NHL regular season games split between Florida, Detroit, Minnesota, Montreal, the New York Islanders, and Buffalo, Vanek has recorded 697 points (333-364-697).
A native of Vienna, Austria, Vanek was originally selected by Buffalo in the first round (fifth overall) at the 2003 NHL Entry Draft
