Red Wings sign Tyler Motte to one-year, $800,000 contract

The Detroit Red Wings announced Tuesday they signed forward Tyler Motte to a one-year contract worth $800,000.

The 29-year-old scored six goals and three assists for nine points in 69 regular-season games with the Tampa Bay Lightning, including a goal in Tampa’s first-round series in the Stanley Cup Playoffs against the Florida Panthers.

Through eight NHL seasons, Motte has 49 goals and 41 assists for 90 points and 110 penalty minutes in 400 career regular-season games with the Lightning, New York Rangers, Ottawa Senators, Vancouver Canucks, Columbus Blue Jackets and Chicago Blackhawks.

Drafted in the fourth round by the Blackhawks in the 2013 NHL Entry Draft, Motte would spend three seasons with the University of Michigan in the NCAA’s Big Ten conference. In his third season with the Wolverines in 2015-16, Motte scored 32 goals and 24 assists for 56 points in 38 games, third in second in the country in goals and third in points.

After the season, he was named to the All-Big Ten First Team. Soon after, he was signed to a three-year, entry-level contract with the Blackhawks.

It has been a very busy few days of free agency for the Red Wings. On Monday, the club signed goaltenders Cam Talbot and Jack Campbell, as well as forwards Christian Fischer and Sheldon Dries, and defenders Erik Gustafsson and William Lagesson.

On Sunday night, Detroit re-signed Patrick Kane to a one-year contract with a base cap hit of $4 million. Last season, he scored 20 goals and 27 assists for 47 points in 50 games with the Red Wings, giving Detroit a valuable option on the wing as they attempted to make the playoffs for the first time in eight seasons.