Complete Guide to the Detroit Red Wings' 2015 Offseason

Jonathan WillisApr 30, 2015

It's going to be a difficult summer for the Detroit Red Wings.

Questions abound, particularly after head coach Mike Babcock publicly questioned the long-term future of the team while speaking with reporters. The head coach is not a lock to return, as his contract expires this summer, and the team's most vital pieces are getting closer to the end of the line.

The Red Wings do have a solid group of young players already in place and en route, but the question is whether any of them will be able to replace key figures like Pavel Datsyuk and Henrik Zetterberg.

General manager Ken Holland will need to find the balance between shoring up the roster in the here and now—most notably the need for immediate help on defence—and the possibility that it might be time to start thinking about a rebuilding cycle.

What's going to happen?

Season Wrap-Up

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Top Performers: Pavel Datsyuk, when healthy, stood out as the best player on the roster; he finished just one point back of the team-scoring lead despite missing 19 games with assorted ailments. He was also the best playoff performer among the team's skaters. Tomas Tatar and Justin Abdelkader hit new scoring highs, while Gustav Nyquist took a small step back but still managed to score 27 goals. In net, Petr Mrazek showed he was a capable option.

Biggest Disappointments: Jimmy Howard faltered badly down the stretch and ultimately lost the playoff starting job to Mrazek for his struggles; he has four more years at a big cap hit and has now had consecutive weak seasons. Jonathan Ericsson took a step back in terms of performance and tumbled down the depth chart. Health was a recurring issue, most notably for Johan Franzen, who missed nearly 50 games.

Final Assessment: The Red Wings managed to put together a 100-point season and nearly eliminated the Tampa Bay Lightning in the first round. Still, it's the third time in four years that Detroit has failed to win a playoff series, and with key performers at critical positions fighting Father Time, the missed opportunities sting more every year.

Biggest Storylines to Follow

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What happens to Mike Babcock? After Tampa Bay knocked out Detroit, Babcock refused to discuss his future, but he made some highly suggestive comments. ESPN.com's Katie Strang reports that after noting the ages of key players Niklas Kronwall, Henrik Zetterberg and Pavel Datsyuk, Babcock asked which of the prospects on the way up could possibly replace Datsyuk:

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We have lots of good, young players, no question about it. And we’ve got some good ones coming. But who’s going to replace [Datsyuk]? I don’t think [Datsyuk] is going anywhere right away, but that’s what you’ve got to do. You’ve got to have big time players up the middle and on the back to be successful. So those are questions that our organization works toward, we’ve been drafting good, we’ve been developing good, but we’ve been winning too much. That’s the facts.
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Babcock is a free agent this summer and will be highly sought after if he chooses to leave.

Goalie controversy: Twice in two seasons, Jimmy Howard has struggled. Petr Mrazek is a top up-and-coming goalie prospect. Detroit can certainly afford to keep both players. But it has options in net, and it wouldn't be a surprise if it chooses to make a move.

Adding a top defenceman: The Red Wings have been a fixture in defensive trade rumours; the club has been looking for both top talent and ideally right-shooting players, as noted by ProHockeyTalk's Jason Brough. Rookie Alexey Marchenko may be able to help in the latter department (though an ugly playoff performance won't help his cause in camp next year), but undoubtedly one of Detroit's primary goals this offseason will be to bolster the defence.

Notable Players Hitting Free Agency

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Marek Zidlicky: The trade deadline addition adds a right shot and a power-play weapon to the roster. He was dropped down to a third-pairing/specialist role for the postseason, and he's 38 years old. So the Red Wings may not be interested in retaining him, but it's not impossible he returns on a one-year deal either. GM Ken Holland has a history of squeezing the last few good years out of older veterans.

Erik Cole: Another deadline addition, Cole, played reasonably well over an 11-game cameo with Detroit before he was sidelined by a season-ending injury. He's a good, versatile winger and has been relatively durable in recent years. It's possible that the Red Wings choose to retain the 36-year-old on a short-term deal.

Others: F Daniel Cleary, G Jonas Gustavsson

TOP NEWS

Bleacher Report1w

Bleacher Report1w

Top Free-Agent Targets

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As with last summer, Detroit's priority is to find a top-pairing and ideally right-shooting defenceman, as noted by Brough. It won't be easy—and there aren't a lot of options in free agency—but there are a few possibilities.

1. Jeff Petry: A Michigan native whose father, Dan, won a World Series with the Detroit Tigers, Petry has connections to the region that might make him more interested in the Red Wings than other free agents out there. He's a durable two-way threat with decent size (6'3", 198 lbs) and excellent speed, and at age 27 he has lots of tread left on the tires.

2. Cody Franson: Franson is like Petry in that he's a right-shooting rearguard in the prime of his career. He's bigger and has more of an offensive edge than his fellow free agent, though he has less experience playing shutdown minutes against top opposition. He'd be a solid addition.

3. Paul Martin: Martin may be the best player on this list, but he has some items working against him. He's 34 years old, so wear is a concern. And while he has lots of experience playing on the right side, he's another left-shooting rearguard. Still, he's an exceptional two-way defenceman and established top-pairing option.

Best Options in the NHL Draft

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Detroit's exact position in the 2015 draft isn't entirely clear yet and could change depending on what happens to the Calgary Flames in the second round, but it will be no worse than No. 19 overall and could rise a spot if the Flames beat the Anaheim Ducks.

Timo Meier: A big Swiss winger, Meier has shown he can be a high-end offensive weapon. He had a solid showing for his home country at this year's World Juniors and scored 44 goals and 90 points in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. There are some parallels to 2013, when Detroit took 50-goal, 89-point winger Anthony Mantha No. 20 overall out of the same league.

Colin White: White, who has come up through the U.S. National Development Program, is the kind of two-way forward the Red Wings always seem to have in abundance. Intelligent, mobile and polished, he can also put points on the board, though his offensive ceiling is a little lower than some others potentially in this range.

Jakub Zboril: A 6'2" two-way defenceman who provides offence and a physical dimension, Zboril is Czech-born but came over to North America and spent this season in the QMJHL. He's ranked No. 16 on Bob McKenzie's midseason list for TSN, but he could fall to Detroit and would add a high-end defensive prospect to an organization that hasn't taken a defenceman in the top 100 in four drafts now.

Players Who Should Be Put on the Trading Block

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Brendan Smith: It's not that he's a bad player. He isn't. But if Detroit makes a trade for a high-end defenceman, it'll need to give something back. And Smith makes sense as the centerpiece of a package. The 26-year-old rearguard is a restricted free agent who shouldn't be too pricey to sign, and he may have potential which so far has gone untapped.

Jakub Kindl: He's expensive and expendable. There's nothing more to it than that; if the Red Wings can convince a team to take the 28-year-old off their hands, they would be well-advised to do so.

Top Trade Targets

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As with free agency, Detroit's top target via trade is a high-end defenceman.

1. Dustin Byfuglien: Entering the last year of his contract with Winnipeg, it's plausible that Byfuglien could hit the market. He's a massive right-shooting defenceman who just turned 30 and thus still has productive years in front of him. He can log tons of minutes and would give Detroit a first-unit power-play weapon.

2. Brent Seabrook: With Seabrook in the final season of his current deal and the Chicago Blackhawks facing a serious cap crunch, it's possible that they will entertain the prospect of trading him. He's a big, right-shooting, bona fide top-pairing defenceman and would be a great fit in Detroit.

3. Dion Phaneuf: Another 30-year-old, Phaneuf is the likeliest of this trio to be shopped over the summer as the Maple Leafs engage in a serious rebuilding effort. He can play on either side of the ice but is a left shot. He's big, he can log heavy minutes and he'd be a power-play option for the Red Wings.

Prospects Most Likely to Debut in 2015-16

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1. Landon Ferraro: Ferraro appeared in all seven postseason games for the Red Wings, playing on a defensive-zone starts-oriented fourth line and not looking out of place. His offence has never developed as hoped, but he may have a role as a bottom-six forward in the NHL.

2. Alexey Marchenko: The big Russian looked good in a late-season cameo and adds a right-handed shot and a range of skills to the blue line. There's no massive rush here, but it would be a surprise if he hadn't worked his way into the regular rotation by midseason.

3. Teemu Pulkkinen: Detroit's best AHL scorer found his way into 31 NHL games this past season. He managed 34 goals and 61 points in just 46 minor league contests, and while he's not yet waiver-eligible, he could force his way ahead of some who are with a good training camp.

4. Mitch Callahan: A hardworking physical winger, Callahan recorded 38 points in just 48 AHL games after clearing waivers earlier this season. He's a restricted free agent but appears ready to step into a fourth-line role in the NHL.

5. Xavier Ouellet: Ouellet appeared in 21 games for the Red Wings in 2014-15, and while his ice time was carefully managed, he didn't look out of place. Expect him to work his way up to Detroit at some point next season.