As a shortened and hectic offseason approaches, Last Word on Hockey is looking ahead towards how teams will deal with the reality of a flat salary cap. In terms of building a franchise, the offseason is the most crucial time of the year for front offices. However, due to COVID-19, the short-term future of how this operates has seen sweeping changes. This series attempts to examine what choices teams may have to make. We’ll operate going from worst to best. Today’s piece focuses on the Detroit Red Wings offseason.
2021 Detroit Red Wings Offseason Primer
Pending Free Agents
When you hit rock bottom, the only place you can go is up. This was certainly the case with the Red Wings. After sporting the worst record in the 2019-20 season, the Red Wings rebounded for a 19-27-10 record. This was a major improvement on almost every level. As of right now, there are only 10 players currently signed through the 2021-22 season. A lot of turnover is expected. While a few of the players are bound to be re-signed, a variety of players have likely seen their last game in Hockeytown. Among the pending UFAs are Jonathan Bernier, Bobby Ryan, Marc Staal, Sam Gagner, Luke Glendening, Darren Helm, Valtteri Filppula, and Alex Biega.
General manager Steve Yzerman‘s priority will likely rest upon the upcoming restricted free agent class. Yzerman should prioritize Tyler Bertuzzi, Jakub Vrana, Filip Hronek, Michael Rasmussen, Dennis Cholowski, Gustav Lindstrom, and Adam Erne before anyone else. Christian Djoos has already signed with the Swiss League, and Matthias Brome is likely on his way out. This off-season should be a low-key one for the Red Wings.
Salary Cap Outlook
The Red Wings will have a lot of flexibility this off-season, with around $47 million in cap space to work with. They’ll have at least 8-12 players that will need to be signed to fill out their roster. With plenty of salary space at their disposal, this will be the perfect off-seaon for Yzerman to work some magic.
Major Likely Departures
Darren Helm
The long-term veteran has likely played his last game in Detroit. Barring a short, low-cost extension, the 34-year-old isn’t quite at the level he once was. A change of scenery could do him a world of good, but the fact that he’s 34 may be a red flag for many teams. His $3.85M cap hit will open the space for a depth player to take his spot.
Valtteri Filppula
Speaking of veterans well past their prime, Filppula is almost certainly a name that won’t return in Detroit. At 37 years of age, Filppula scored just 15 points in 38 games with the 2021 Red Wings. The center found himself waived by the organization more than once to make room for younger players. His $3M cap hit will serve nicely in the free agency market.
Marc Staal
The Troy Stecher-Marc Staal line saw a lot of surprising success. This effort, unfortunately, was only due in part to Stecher’s stellar play. Possession metrics with the NST line tool show that Stecher carried his defensive line more times than any player should. He’s a serviceable player, but nowhere near what the Red Wings need in the coming future.
Alex Biega
Last season, Biega was signed to a two-way deal to help bolster the Grand Rapids Griffins’ defensive corps. He was a good emergency call-up with Detroit, but it’s highly unlikely that he’ll be back, barring another two-way deal. He’ll be turning 34 this season, and it’ll be hard for him to compete with either roster moving forward.
Gustav Lindstrom/Dennis Cholowski
One of the two will be exposed in the Seattle Kraken expansion draft. If they both survive the expansion, they’ll both be signed to one-to-two-year deals. If not, Yzerman will need to figure out who he wants to protect more. In an expansion-type scenario, Yzerman should protect Lindstrom and expose Cholowski. Lindstrom has better possession metrics, stronger passing, and significantly more offensive edge to his game.
Luke Glendening
This one’s a heartbreaker. Glendening is beloved in Detroit, but it might be time for the faceoff expert to move on. He played some unlucky hockey this season and his advanced statistics showed. He’s great on faceoffs, a great penalty killer, and a solid shot-blocker, but there’s not much to his game beyond those points. There’s still a chance he re-signs in Detroit, but it’s going to come down to availability within the roster.
Major Likely Re-Signings
Jakub Vrana
This is the biggest no-brainer in Yzerman’s career. Vrana scored 11 points in 11 games after being traded to the Red Wings. He’s been one of the best shooters in the league for the past few years. He’ll play a key role in the 2021 Red Wings’ offense for years to come. It’s likely that Vrana might sign a similar contract to Anthony Mantha‘s deal. Somewhere around the four-year timeline at $5M per year seems reasonable.
Tyler Bertuzzi
Poor Tyler Bertuzzi. After signing a one-year, $3.5M bridge, Bertuzzi, unfortunately, spent the majority of the 2020-21 season on injured reserve. His seven points in nine games was among the highest points-per-game of the roster. As a driving force of the 2021 Red Wings’ top line, he helps to open up lanes and set up scoring for Dylan Larkin and Filip Zadina. It’s likely that he’ll sign a similar bridge deal to what he received in 2020-21 to prove that he’s able to handle a bigger role within the team.
Filip Hronek
Hronek has been the Red Wings’ best defenceman for the last three seasons. He’s played against some of the toughest competition in the NHL with some impressively underwhelming linemates. On a contending roster, he’s a solid middle-pairing defenceman. With the current state of the Red Wings’ defensive corps, though, he’s a top-pairing player. He’ll likely sign a three-to-four-year deal at $4M per year. Once Moritz Seider joins the roster and starts obtaining more responsibility, Hronek will finally have some time to take a breather.
Sam Gagner
You can’t build a good roster without veterans. Gagner had terrific possession metrics and served dutifully on the team’s penalty kill. Gagner is exactly the kind of player Michael Rasmussen could use as a role model. As a strong, sound two-way center, he’s played on contenders, rebuilders, and everything in-between. He’s an excellent veteran presence and a perfect bottom-six player for the Red Wings, who can use good mentorship with their young roster. Expect a one-year deal around the $1M range.
Jonathan Bernier
If there’s one UFA name Yzerman needs at the top of his list, it’s Jonathan Bernier. The goaltender carried the team during some of its toughest games, stealing wins from the Tampa Bay Lightning and Carolina Hurricanes. He’s stood on his head for the Red Wings more times than the team would like to admit. It’s time for Detroit to pony up and give the man his just due. A two-year deal at around $4M per year should do the trick.
Bobby Ryan
Ryan signed a one-year deal with the 2021 Red Wings at the start of the season. His reason? Steve Yzerman. Since then, he’s been a welcome presence on the roster, helping Zadina grow into a better player while providing offence of his own. The capable middle-six winger can play up and down the lineup as needed, filling in here and there to help out. While he’s 35, he’s still got some gas left in the tank. At a similar deal to last year (one year, $1M), he’d be a great fit with the younger Red Wings’ core.
Potential Free Agent Additions
The Free Agents
If Yzerman follows the formula he’s performed in the past, he’ll likely sign one to two forwards and a defenceman or two. One of the biggest needs on Detroit’s roster is at the center position. They’ll likely sign one of Nick Bjugstad, Mikael Granlund, or Mattias Janmark to plug that hole. On the defensive end, they’ll need a solid, responsible player to replace Staal and the defensive play of Patrik Nemeth. Look to Derek Forbort, David Savard, or Ryan Murray for that replacement. This deeper dive into Detroit’s offseason needs showcases some of the best picks the team could choose to bolster their roster.
