Detroit Red Wings: 7 Moves Detroit Should Consider Making This Offseason
The Detroit Red Wings start their 20th consecutive playoff appearances this season, an impressive streak in any sport. One key to their success has been a remarkable front office staff throughout the years. Current general manager Ken Holland always needs to be looking ahead. Obviously some plans will change somewhat based on what happens in the playoffs, but many of these issues will be there regardless of whether the Cup is raised by the Wings or not.
There are seven areas that the Wings will need to focus on this offseason.
Goalie
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Starting goalie Jimmy Howard was signed to a two-year deal this year, although the deal was not as long as he had hoped or as many expected. Do the Wings have full faith in Howard? He had an impressive first season with the team. This year wasn’t bad, but his numbers declined in goals against and save percentage compared to last year.
While the Wings would like to think that he is the goalie of the future, they are not 100 percent sold yet. The expectations in Detroit all revolve around the Cup, and Howard's performance in the playoffs will affect the team's upcoming offseason moves.
The bigger issue for the team is a backup netminder. Will Chris Osgood retire? After missing most of the season after sports hernia surgery Osgood tried to make a return towards the end of the season. A setback in training has shelved him for the time being. Will the Wings bring him back for one more year? Will he want to play one more year?
Joey MacDonald struggled at times this year and at other times looked decent. His goals-against average was the best of his career but he is a career backup goalie. His likely future role is as a backup—what is to be determined is if that role will be in Detroit.
In the minors the Wings have Jordan Pearce and Thomas McCollum, neither of which appears ready to make the big jump.
During the season, the Wings tried to sign Evgeni Nabokov but were thwarted by the New York Islanders. If he becomes available again this offseason it is likely that the Wings would still be interested.
Beyond those options, the Wings would be wise to dabble in the free-agent market. They will need to find someone who will either improve the backup position or to push Howard for the starting spot. Tomas Vokoun has been a solid goalie on many a mediocre team throughout his career. Now at age 33, he may be willing to take less money to come play for the Wings.
Ty Conklin, who spent time in Detroit, will also be a free agent this offseason. He posted good numbers in Detroit, could be had for cheap and would be able to fill either role.
Jiri Hudler
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Hudler bolted from Detroit after the 2008-09 season for Russia. After a year playing with the Moscow Dynamo in the KHL he returned to the Wings. His return has not gone as well as hoped. He scored 23 goals the season before he left, but has only 10 this year. He had several long scoreless droughts during the season. At times he showed promise but not enough to ensure his future with the team.
Over the last 15 games of the season he only had two goals and three assists with a plus/minus rating of minus-six. He is going into the last year of his deal and will be a $2.87 million hit to the Wings caps next season.
It would be wise to look to move him in the offseason.
Shore Up the D
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The Wings have had a strong defense for many years. They fell out of the top 10 defenses for only the second time in 10 years. This year the team plummeted to 23rd in the league. The team will need to look at ways to improve the defense over the offseason.
Nicklas Lidstrom will be a free agent this offseason. While there are no worries of him going elsewhere, the retirement watch will start as soon as the playoffs are over. Lidstrom has debated this question the past couple of years. Despite still playing at a very high level the end will eventually come.
Brian Rafaski, Brad Stuart and Niklas Kronwall are all under contract next season and all have value to the team. Rookie Jakub Kindl has shown enough promise to make a run at a playoff roster spot and is also under contract for next season.
The team will need to decide if it wants to re-sign Jonathan Ericsson and Ruslan Salei. They also will need to test the free-agent market in search of a top-level defender. Regardless, if Lidstrom retires this year, next or even farther down the road, the Wings need to ensure they have players in place to handle the load once he is gone.
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Mike Modano
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Modano came to his hometown team in hopes of capturing one last cup in the twilight of his career. He fought back from a nasty, career-threatening wrist injury during the season. He is strongly considering retirement after the season. The Wings will need to decide if they want to extend him an offer for next season or let him go.
With his season being broken up the way it was he still has not fully gotten into the swing of things. The Wings will need to decide if it is just rust from the injury or age. He has shown flashes of the old Modano at times. The playoffs will help many questions surrounding him.
Kris Draper
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Draper will go down as the best dollar ever spent by the Wings, as he joined the team when he was traded for a dollar. He has since won four Stanley Cups with the team and has been a staple on the beloved “Grind Line.”
Injuries limited Draper to only 47 games this year but he has still shown that he can handle his own. He led the team in faceoffs won and is still a tough player.
This concern is that Draper turns 40 in May. How much longer will he be able to play at this level?
Draper will be a free agent. Unless something happens in the playoffs it is likely that the Wings will offer him a one-year deal. The question is how much below this season’s $1.58 million contract would he be willing to take to keep playing? With needs at goalie and defense they will need to free up money in other places. It is hard to imagine Draper not taking a pay cut to stay and to help free up money for the team.
The Minors
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The Red Wings will need to look in the minor leagues to see who is ready to move up next season. With the depth that the Wings have had throughout the years they have been known to let players stay in the minors longer than other teams. With some of the moves that need to be made this offseason there might be some spots for these young players to grab.
The Wings called up 15 players to serve as the Black Aces—reserve players in case of injury—on the playoff roster.
Forwards | Defense | Goaltenders |
Joakim Andersson | Travis Ehrhardt | Thomas McCollum |
Cory Emmerton | Doug Janik | Jordan Pearce |
Ilari Filppula | Brian Lashoff |
|
Jan Mursak | Derek Meech |
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Francis Pare | Logan Pyett |
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Brent Raedeke | Brendan Smith |
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Tomas Tatar |
|
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It is not likely that they will see any playing time, however two seasons ago Justin Abdelkader turned a chance provided due to injury into a roster spot. Even if they don't play they will get plenty of practice time with the Wings and will be under the watchful eye of coaches and front office personnel. They will hopefully use that time to learn and impress the team.
Free Agents
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There is a pretty full list of players who will be free agents this year. Fans will start dreaming of somehow getting Brad Richards to come to Detroit, but barring some type of miracle, that will not be happen.
Before they explore what is available they first need to decide what to do with their own free agents and make some decisions.
In goal, both Osgood and MacDonald will be free agents. They will be shopping for goalie help in the offseason.
On defense Nick Lidstrom, Jonathan Ericsson and Ruslan Salei will all be free agents. If Lidstrom decides to play another year then he will be back. Ericsson may be an interesting move. Don’t be surprised if the Wings see what else they can get before deciding on Ericsson.
Salei was given enough playing time to basically play himself out of the lineup. That is not a good move in a contract year. The Wings will take his $1.1 million and spend it elsewhere next season
On Offense Mike Madano, Kris Draper, Patrick Eaves and Andrew Miller will all be free agents. Madano will likely retire after the season, which will free up a roster spot. Draper is likely to return as long as he will accept less money, while Eaves and Miller are both good role players and come at a cheap enough price that it seems likely they will return.
In the end what does it mean for roster spots? Assuming both Lidstrom and Draper return, then there will be at least three openings on the roster. Add that to the need to trade Hudler and there could be just the right amount of new blood on the team next year.
Of course Red Wings fans hope that whoever is on team next year is there to go for a repeat championship.
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