Offseason Keys: Detroit Red Wings

While the playoffs are ongoing, many teams have already started their offseason planning.  What storylines lie ahead around the league?  Our Offseason Keys series continues with a look at the Detroit Red Wings.

It turns out that missing the postseason wasn’t just a one-off for Detroit.  After seeing their streak of 25 straight playoff appearances come to an end in 2016-17, the Red Wings followed that up with a lesser showing this past season, seeing their point total drop from 79 to 73.  With a rebuild and a youth movement on the horizon, here’s what is on Detroit’s to-do list this offseason.

Reshape The Defense

The Red Wings have typically spent a lot of money on their back end and this season was no exception as their seven regulars carried a cap charge of over $25MM.  Unfortunately for them, they haven’t got a lot of bang for their buck.  Their back end is fairly old with three players aged 34 or older and for a rebuilding team, that’s not ideal.

They will also be tasked with either replacing or re-signing their top defender from this year (in terms of points and average ice time) as Mike Green is set to become an unrestricted free agent in July.  His season ended prematurely with a spine injury but he’s expected to be ready for next season so his market shouldn’t suffer too badly.  On the one hand, it’s reasonable to think GM Ken Holland will want to bring him back because of his importance to the team but on the other, he’ll turn 33 soon after the season gets underway.  Re-signing him would give them four players 33 or older on defense, not exactly the typical route for a rebuilding team.

Given their salary cap constraints (they were in LTIR all season), it wouldn’t be surprising to see them try to move out one of their veterans (even if Green leaves) to free up some extra cap room while opening up a spot for one of their young defenders to make a push for a roster spot.

Assess The Goalie Situation

There are a couple of decisions to be made between the pipes.  For starters, with Petr Mrazek being dealt near the trade deadline and Jared Coreau struggling down the stretch, Holland needs to find a backup to starter Jimmy Howard.  Do they look for a one-year stopgap or take a run at someone who can step into the number one role if need be?

A decision also needs to at least be pondered when it comes to Howard’s situation.  He will be entering the final year of his contract in 2018-19 with a cap hit just shy of $5.3MM.  His play in recent years has varied considerably; this past season, he posted numbers slightly below the league average but in 2016-17, he was one of the better starters in the league.  Which is the real Howard?  The latter is someone to commit to bringing back but the former isn’t.

At 34, Howard isn’t the goalie of the long-term future.  However, they don’t really have a can’t-miss youngster in the system either so there isn’t anyone knocking on the door.  Accordingly, there’s a case to be made to try to keep Howard around for another few years as a bridge to whoever comes next.  Sooner than later though, they’re going to have to acquire that next netminder.

Contract For Larkin

Dylan Larkin’s progression through his first three NHL seasons has been rocky at times but the good has far outweighed the bad.  After taking a step back in his sophomore campaign, the 21-year-old took a big step forward in 2017-18, posting career highs in assists (47) and points (63) to lead the Red Wings in scoring.  He also successfully transitioned back to playing center.  All in all, it was a nice platform season as he enters restricted free agency for the first time.

Clearly, Detroit is going to want to sign Larkin long-term.  However, they have quite a few others to lock up this summer (including fellow RFAs Andreas Athanasiou and Anthony Mantha) while replacing or re-signing Green won’t be cheap either.  The expected increase in the salary cap will help but they won’t be able to give all three youngsters lengthy deals.  Considering Larkin’s importance to the team, there’s a good chance that they’ll work to try to get a long-term pact done with him quickly and then try to pencil in their other signings over the course of the summer.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.