The Red Wings and Henrik Zetterberg are close to signing a long-term extension to keep the winger in Detroit. "We've made progress in the last two weeks," general manager Ken Holland said Sunday. "There's still a little work to be done, but I'm optimistic." The deal, which could be for as long as 10 years, will have to be creative to keep the salary-cap hit around $7 million a season. RealGM Note: Zetterberg was ranked 17th in season IIC (Ice Impact Counter) during the 07-08 season and 'deserved' to make $6.75M, which gave him an excellent Reina Value of +150%.

Brendan Shanahan is heading back to the Devils, the team with which he started his career more than 20 years ago, according to an Associated Press report on Saturday. Shanahan has been an unrestricted free agent since July after his one-year deal with the Rangers expired. He has been looking for a new team since, and had spoken to the Flyers earlier this season. The forward, who will turn 40 later this month, is 11th on the NHL career goal list with 650.