Free Agent Focus: Detroit Red Wings
Free agency is now less than two weeks away and many teams are already looking ahead to when it opens up. There will be several prominent players set to hit the open market in mid-July while many teams have key restricted free agents to re-sign as well. Next up is a look at the Detroit Red Wings.
Key Restricted Free Agents
F Filip Zadina – Once viewed as a possible top-three pick in the 2018 draft, Zadina’s stock fell a bit back then and it has still fallen since then. His first full NHL season saw him show flashes of the upside that was enough for Detroit to pick him sixth in the draft but there were plenty of concerns about his play away from the puck and his overall consistency. Coming off a platform year of 10 goals and 14 assists, Zadina certainly hasn’t put himself in a territory where he can command a long-term deal, nor should he want one. At this point, what’s clear is that he’ll be receiving a bridge deal. What isn’t as clear is whether it will be the Red Wings giving it to him or another team altogether.
D Jake Walman – With St. Louis, Walman had a very limited role when he was able to get into the lineup but that changed following his trade to Detroit at the deadline. After that, he became a regular on the third pairing, seeing his ATOI jump from under 12 minutes a game to over 17, giving him his first consistent stretch of NHL action and he certainly held his own in that role. Coming off a platform season with 10 points in 51 games and just 82 career appearances under his belt, Walman won’t be able to command much of a raise but he is a year away from UFA eligibility. If GM Steve Yzerman thinks there is still some upside with Walman, a two-year deal that buys an extra year of team control is doable that could see the AAV closer to the $1MM mark after making the minimum the last two seasons.
F Mitchell Stephens – The 25-year-old was brought over from Tampa Bay with the hopes that he’d be able to grab onto a full-time role on the fourth line. However, Stephens wound up missing 55 games with a lower-body injury and while he played in the 27 remaining games, there remain some questions as to whether or not he’s going to be a long-term option for Detroit. He’s owed a qualifying offer of just under $814K and it shouldn’t take much more than that to give him a one-year contract and another opportunity to try to stake his claim to a full-time spot in the lineup.
Other RFAs: G Kaden Fulcher, D Olli Juolevi, D Chase Pearson
Key Unrestricted Free Agents
D Marc Staal – The 35-year-old isn’t the high-end shutdown defender that he was in the prime of his career but he still has some value as a third-pairing player that can kill penalties. Detroit saw that last summer and brought him back to play that exact role in 2021-22 where he did a decent job. It’s possible that the Red Wings keep him around as an insurance policy if they aren’t able to bring in a more impactful veteran on the left side of their back end. If not, Staal should have some suitors on contending teams looking for a proven defender but in that situation, he will likely need to take less than the $2MM he received from the Red Wings this past season.
G Thomas Greiss – In his first year with the Red Wings, Greiss did well with his GAA and SV% basically matching his career averages. In terms of a short-term stopgap, he looked like a good pickup. However, the 36-year-old struggled mightily in 2021-22, posting a 3.66 GAA with a SV% of just .881, both career-worsts. Was it a sign that his best days are behind him or will there be a team or two that thinks in a more stable defensive environment, Greiss could still provide a performance around the league average? It’s possible that there is limited interest this summer but it’s also quite possible that his poor performance has resulted in his 13-year NHL career coming to an end.
D Danny DeKeyser – DeKeyser’s stock has dropped considerably in the last couple of years and he has cleared waivers on multiple occasions. That said, his $5MM AAV made it a near-lock that he was going to pass through unclaimed so there was no risk in going that route. The 32-year-old could still fit on the third pairing for some teams next season at a price tag that’s considerably lower and is more commensurate for that role. However, it would be surprising to see him return to his hometown team.
F Sam Gagner – Gagner is quietly coming off a serviceable season as a depth scorer for the Red Wings, picking up 13 goals and 18 assists in 81 games while playing under 14 minutes a night with 29 of those points coming at even strength. For a bargain price of $850K, he was one of Detroit’s better bargains in 2021-22. Now 32, the 15-year veteran has his limitations but as an affordable depth scorer, Gagner should have a decent market waiting for him in free agency.
Other UFAs: F Riley Barber, F Turner Elson, G Magnus Hellberg, G Calvin Pickard, D Dan Renouf, F Carter Rowney
Projected Cap Space
As far as cap space goes, Detroit has plenty as they have more than $35MM at their disposal. Their restricted free agents won’t take much off of that number which means that Yzerman has the ability to go after the top unrestricted free agents if he wants or if he feels the team led by new head coach Derek Lalonde isn’t ready to push for a playoff spot yet, the Red Wings could be a team to watch in terms of adding some assets for taking on undesirable contracts. There will be several new faces in Hockeytown as a result next season.
Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images. Contract information courtesy of CapFriendly.
Pavel Datsyuk Plans To Retire From Hockey
Six years after leaving NHL ice, legendary Detroit Red Wings center Pavel Datsyuk has announced his plans to retire from professional hockey at age 43. Datsyuk informed the media of his decision while attending the retirement game of another former NHLer, Alexander Semin.
Datsyuk, while not a member of the original “Russian Five” that helped to spearhead the success of elite Russian talent in the NHL, still remains one of the best not only from his country but all time. He’s a member of the rare Triple Gold Club, winning Stanley Cups in 2002 and 2008, a World Championship gold medal in 2012, and an Olympic gold medal in 2018. Add in a variety of silver and bronze medals internationally, a 2005 Russian Super League championships and 2017 Gagarin Cup championship in the KHL, four Lady Byng trophies, and three Selke trophies, and you have one of the most dominant and well-respected two-way centers in hockey history.
One of the most memorable puck handlers in recent memory, Datsyuk wrapped up his 14-year NHL career (all spent with Detroit) in 2016 with 314 goals, 604 assists, and 918 points in 953 games. The team’s 171st overall selection in 1998 will retire seventh on the all-time points list in Detroit, trailing Russian counterpart Sergei Fedorov by a handful.
After returning to the KHL, Datsyuk played five more years of professional hockey before not suiting up for the 2021-22 season. After spending three productive years as the captain of SKA St. Petersburg, Datsyuk returned to his hometown to play the final two seasons of his career with Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg. Including the first half of 2012-13 spent with CSKA Moscow due to the NHL lockout, he also finishes with 60 goals, 144 assists, and 204 points in 260 KHL games.
Detroit Red Wings Hire Derek Lalonde
Another coaching vacancy has been filled. The Detroit Red Wings announced today that they have hired Tampa Bay Lightning assistant coach Derek Lalonde as the 28th head coach in franchise history. Lalonde will be officially introduced to the media tomorrow at 11:00 AM.
Red Wings GM Steve Yzerman gave the following statement on hiring Lalonde:
“I’m very pleased to announce Derek as our new head coach, he has proven himself as an excellent coach at every level and has spent the last four seasons in the National Hockey League as part of a very successful program in Tampa Bay. We feel he is ready to take the next step in his career as the head coach of the Detroit Red Wings.”
Lalonde has been a key member of Jon Cooper’s Tampa Bay Lightning staff since 2018-19. Since hiring Lalonde, the Lightning have gone 192-77-21 with two Stanley Cup championships and a third trip to the final. His run of success in Tampa gives him an extremely strong resume, and he comes to the Red Wings widely regarded as one of the top assistant coaches in the game.
The connection to Detroit here is obvious: GM Steve Yzerman was the architect of Lalonde’s Lightning team and still has deep ties within the organization. As Detroit looks to exit their rebuild and return to contention, Lalonde is the candidate that provides Yzerman with the best combination of familiarity and great qualifications.
Lalonde was last a head coach with the Iowa Wild of the AHL. He spent two seasons coaching in Iowa, going 69-58-25, failing to make the playoffs in either year. Before then, Lalonde had an extremely successful run as a head coach with the USHL’s Green Bay Gamblers, including managing them to a 47-9-4 2011-12 campaign that saw them finish as champions of the USHL.
In Lalonde, the Red Wings are getting an experienced coach who has won championships at multiple levels. After a historic streak of consecutive years making the playoffs, the Red Wings haven’t been back in a while. With a new coach in tow and several up-and-coming stars including Calder Trophy winner Moritz Seider, the future looks bright in Detroit.
Red Wings To Interview Lalonde, Halpern
- The Detroit Red Wings are getting closer to naming a head coach, now that they will be able to interview Tampa Bay Lightning assistants Jeff Halpern and Derek Lalonde. Ted Kulfan of The Detroit News writes that Lalonde is currently considered a slight favorite for the job after his impressive rise through the ranks as a head coach. The Tampa Bay assistant has previous stops as head man with the Green Bay Gamblers of the USHL, Toledo Walleye of the ECHL, and Iowa Wild of the AHL, having never experienced a losing season at any stop.
PHR Mailbag: Detroit Red Wings Edition
There were several questions about the Red Wings in our latest callout for questions for the PHR Mailbag. Rather than try to condense them to fit them within a full mailbag, let’s examine them in a bit more detail in a Detroit-specific piece. The rest of the mailbag will run on Sunday.
pawdog13: What have you heard about the Red Wings’ coaching search? Crickets everywhere!
@jamara23732: Who do you believe the Red Wings will hire as head coach?
The best way to describe Detroit’s coaching search thus far is that it’s thorough. GM Steve Yzerman is known to be patient and he’s turning over every rock while considering both experienced and first-time options. Barry Trotz interviewed for the opening back in May but Trotz basically interviewed with every team that has a coaching vacancy and then decided to take next season off. David Quinn, the former Rangers head coach, has also been interviewed. He’s someone that has a lot of experience working with younger players and with the Red Wings having a younger roster, that could be appealing. They also interviewed Bruce Cassidy but clearly, that one isn’t happening as he’s now with Vegas.
Speculatively, I think part of their hold up is that Yzerman wants to have a conversation with Derek Lalonde, an assistant with the Lightning. Yzerman was still with Tampa Bay when Lalonde joined them so he will have some familiarity and considering what Tampa Bay has done since then, he has only helped boost his stock since then. Detroit might not be the only team waiting for the Stanley Cup Final to end to have a conversation with Lalonde.
As for who I think they’ll hire, I’ve covered that one in a prior mailbag but I’ll mention it here again in Jim Montgomery. Dallas was doing well under his tutelage before his departure so it’s not as if he’s a first-time bench boss. He also has a track record of working with younger players from his days in college. He’s also someone that fits both types of coaching options. He could be the long-term solution behind the bench which would be great for them but he could also be a transitional coach, one that helps elevate the stock and development of certain players but might not be the right fit in the end. Either option would be a win for them at this stage. In reality, your guess is as good as mine with the lack of information out there about their search but Montgomery would be my pick.
gowings2008: Any idea who the Red Wings may target in free agency? Based on the direction the team is headed, I think adding a player like Andre Burakovsky could make sense.
@jamara23732: What free agents do you see the Red Wings pursuing when free agency starts?
I don’t expect Detroit to necessarily be shopping at the top end of the market yet. Are they ready to flip the switch and move to win-now mode? They’re getting closer to that point but I don’t think it’ll be this summer. That should keep them out of the bidding wars for the top players.
Looking at their depth chart, their center situation stands out. Dylan Larkin is in place although he only has one yet left on his contract. After that, there are a lot of question marks. Pius Suter isn’t a true top-six option and while Michael Rasmussen has shown some improvement, he fits much better on the third line than the second. Joe Veleno has similar upside. Oskar Sundqvist, acquired at the trade deadline, is also a bottom-sixer. There’s a definite need for a top-six center.
Vincent Trocheck is someone I expect them to take a serious run at. He turns 29 next month so he should still have several good seasons ahead of him. He’s not going to push to be a top pivot – that spot is still Larkin’s – but he’d allow Rasmussen and Veleno to slot into the last two center spots and give them a very stable group of middlemen. Good teams need good center depth and Trocheck would give them exactly that. If that doesn’t happen, they might inquire on Andrew Copp and Ryan Strome, similar-aged players that would give them some stability although the upside isn’t as great. I’d be more worried about adding middlemen than wingers at this point so while Burakovsky would certainly help, he shouldn’t be their top priority either.
The left side of their back end is another sizable hole but that will be difficult to fill in free agency as the impact rearguards are righties. I’ve mused in the past about them taking a look at someone like John Klingberg which would free them up to trade Filip Hronek for a lefty that better fits their needs. That might be their best shot at adding an impact left-side defender, actually. Simon Edvinsson will see some time next season but their free agent target on that side might be a veteran like Ian Cole, someone that can play on the third pairing and log some tough minutes on the penalty kill. Keeping Marc Staal is another option. Alexander Edler would be a tier a bit above that but that’s as good as I think they can do on the free agent front on that side of their back end.
On the trade front, if they keep Hronek and don’t add an impact righty, I could see them inquiring about Alec Martinez, a Michigan native. Vegas still needs to clear money and since they played without him for a lot of this past season, they know they can manage without him if need be. With two years left on his contract, he’d be an ideal bridge veteran to work with Edvinsson as well.
Johnny Z: Predict the unpredictable: What is Stevie Y’s big move this summer? Example: What LD vet does he find? Will he bolster the C position and with who? Does he get Larkin extended under $9M? What veteran goalie does he get?
The defense and center spots were covered above and I’ll lean into my Klingberg prediction as their big move with Hronek, who has two years left at an affordable $4.4MM price tag, being flipped for a left-shot defender that’s signed or under team control for at least two more years.
As for Larkin, I do think a long-term extension will get done this summer. He stated at the end of the season that he couldn’t see himself playing elsewhere and then changed agents with the belief being that talks on a new deal will start soon. Unless Yzerman was to low-ball his captain, something should get done.
I’m fairly confident it will be under $9MM per as well. Larkin has never been a point-per-game player and has only come close to that mark twice. In that sense, he’s not a true top center so he shouldn’t be expecting to be paid as such. There are some recent comparables to work off of as well – Mika Zibanejad will get $8.5MM from the Rangers next year, Tomas Hertl is a little over $8MM from San Jose, and Sean Couturier checks in at $7.75MM. Is Larkin’s track record better than those players? He’d have a hard time making that case. He’s younger so there will be an expectation of more in-prime years that should push his AAV into that range instead of being below it but I’d be quite surprised if his next price tag came in above Zibanejad’s $8.5MM.
Now, let’s look at the goaltending situation. I don’t think Jussi Olkinuora is the intended backup although I do like that signing to see if he is indeed a late bloomer. He’ll partner up with Sebastian Cossa in Grand Rapids and it’s his trajectory that Yzerman will need to be mindful of. Yes, he’s a promising prospect but most goalies will need a few years before being NHL-ready. With Alex Nedeljkovic’s deal set to expire next summer, they need someone on a multi-year deal.
This isn’t a great group of veterans to work with so I expect their primary targets to be Ville Husso and Jack Campbell. Both players don’t have the type of clout to command a long-term contract but something in the three-year range is where they should fall. That lines up with Cossa’s timeline in the sense that Husso or Campbell would be expiring when Cossa is ready. At that point, they can either walk or be extended to partner up with him. My pick would be one of those two.
If they go elsewhere, I would be looking towards Washington and one of their pending RFAs. If they want a proven veteran, one of Ilya Samsonov or Vitek Vanecek would be on the move and both of those netminders would be candidates for the medium-term deals I’m suggesting they’ll want to give to Husso or Campbell. They need some stability at the position and getting that should be near the top of Yzerman’s to-do list this summer.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Edmonton Oil Kings Eliminated From 2022 Memorial Cup
With the round-robin set to close tomorrow at the 2022 Memorial Cup, one team already knows its fate. The WHL champion Edmonton Oil Kings are out of the top Canadian junior tournament, dropping their third game of the round-robin 4-2 against the OHL champion Hamilton Bulldogs.
The host Saint John Sea Dogs of the QMJHL will play their league champion, the Shawinigan Cataractes, tomorrow. The winner of that game will advance directly to the 2022 Memorial Cup Final on June 29, while the loser will face Hamilton in the semi-final on Monday.
Edmonton bows out of the tournament without a regulation win. Their two points in the standings came courtesy of a 4-3 overtime win against Saint John.
It’s a shocking exit for the WHL champion, who terrorized the league with a 50-14-4 record during the regular season. But their offense was stricken heavily when it was announced that leading scorer Dylan Guenther, a 2021 first-round selection of the Arizona Coyotes, would miss the tournament due to injury. Still, the squad had a strong core with NHL prospects Sebastian Cossa (Detroit Red Wings) in goal, Kaiden Guhle (Montreal Canadiens) and Luke Prokop (Nashville Predators) on defense, and Jake Neighbours (St. Louis Blues) and Justin Sourdif (Florida Panthers) rounding out an all-star lineup. The team’s depth was nothing to scoff at either, with multiple other NHL prospects and WHL veterans playing big roles.
The WHL’s streak of Memorial Cup losses, which dates back now to 2014 with the Oil Kings, will continue.
Detroit Red Wings Sign Victor Brattstrom
7:32 pm: CapFriendly reports that Brattstrom’s one-year extension is for the league-minimum $750,000. As the deal is two-way in nature, Brattstrom will be paid a minors salary of $75,000.
8:41 am: The Detroit Red Wings are keeping one of their depth goaltenders around for another year, signing Victor Brattstrom to a one-year contract extension. The Swedish netminder split time between the Grand Rapids Griffins and Toledo Walleye this season, after making the transition to North America. Brattstrom would have been an arbitration-eligible restricted free agent this summer.
Originally a sixth-round pick of the Red Wings in 2018, Brattstrom is an interesting case. He was already 21 by the time he was finally picked, and at that point had not even reached the highest level in Sweden. In fact, he had just 15 games of experience at the Allsvenskan level (second-tier) and though they had gone well, the pick was always more about his frame–6’4″–and projected upside.
Now four years later, Brattstrom’s results haven’t really improved. He did play one season in the SHL for Timra IK but was shelled, going 5-14 with an .898 save percentage and losing the relegation game. In 2020-21, after signing his entry-level deal with the Red Wings, he played in Finland, where he had a middling 18-12-7 record and .903 save percentage in 38 appearances.
This year, he couldn’t crack the .900 mark even at the ECHL level, and yet the Red Wings obviously believe in him enough to give him another contract. It will interesting to follow the 25-year-old netminder this season and see if the Detroit front office has found a project, or if he’s nothing more than minor league depth.
Moritz Seider Wins The 2022 Calder Trophy
On Tuesday, the final five NHL awards are being handed out. The second award of the night was the Calder Memorial Trophy, handed out to the NHL’s top rookie. Red Wings defenseman Moritz Seider took home the trophy after a stellar first season. Maple Leafs winger Michael Bunting and Ducks center Trevor Zegras were the other two finalists.
The 21-year-old was the sixth-overall pick by Detroit back in 2019 and spent his post-draft season with AHL Grand Rapids before playing in Sweden last season. The extra seasoning certainly was beneficial as he led all rookie defensemen with 50 points (seven goals and 43 assists), the third-highest point output from a rookie rearguard in the last 30 years. Seider also led all rookies (including forwards) in assists and power play points while logging more than 23 minutes a game to lead all Detroit defensemen, a franchise record for all rookies.
As a result, the vote wasn’t particularly close. Of the 195 PHWA members to cast a ballot, Seider was ranked first on 170 of them while he was the only player to appear in the top three on every ballot. That helped Seider become the first Detroit rookie to win the award since goaltender Roger Crozier back in the 1964-65 season.
The full results of the voting can be found here.
Red Wings Sign Jussi Olkinuora
The Red Wings have added some goaltending depth to their system as CapFriendly reports (Twitter link) that Detroit has signed netminder Jussi Olkinuora to a one-year, two-way contract. The deal will pay him $750K in the NHL, $375K in the minors, and contains a guarantee of $425K.
The 31-year-old spent some time in Winnipeg’s system earlier in his career after signing with them as an undrafted free agent back in 2013 after an impressive couple of years at the University of Denver. However, things didn’t go well in the minors for Olkinuora as he posted a 3.79 GAA with a save percentage of just .879 in 21 appearances, resulting in the Jets non-tendering him in 2015 and him eventually heading back overseas in 2016.
Olkinuora has spent the last three seasons in the KHL and is coming off a pair of strong seasons with Metallurg Magnitogorsk. This past season, he had a 2.45 GAA along with a .917 SV% in 36 games, numbers that were actually a small step back from the year before. However, his performance helped earn him a spot on Finland’s entries into their Olympic and World Championship teams. It was at the recently-completed Worlds that Olkinuora really shined as he posted a 1.11 GAA and a .948 SV%, resulting in him being named as the tournament MVP.
There are certainly some openings in Detroit’s system for goaltenders next season. Backup goalie Thomas Greiss and third-stringer Calvin Pickard are both pending unrestricted free agents and neither appear to be likely to return. The fate of Magnus Hellberg, a late-season signing, is also in question as he’s also a pending UFA. Olkinuora could be ticketed to start at AHL Grand Rapids alongside top prospect Sebastian Cossa although, if they believe his recent showing in Russia is a sign of things to come, he could get a chance to battle for a shot at being Alex Nedeljkovic‘s backup as well.
Detroit Red Wings Sign Elmer Soderblom
7:38 pm: CapFriendly has announced the terms of the deal, which carries a cap hit of $878,333:
2022-23: $750,000 base + $92,500 signing bonus + $82,500 performance bonus
2023-24: $775,000 base + $92,500 signing bonus + $57,500 performance bonus
2024-25: $832,500 base + $92,500 signing bonus
The contract carries a minor salary of $70,000 in all three seasons.
1:12 pm: The Detroit Red Wings have signed another interesting Swedish prospect, this time inking Elmer Soderblom to a three-year entry-level contract. The sixth-round pick is coming off a breakout season with Frolunda of the SHL.
It’s hard to focus on anything other than the size of Soderblom, given his 6’8″ frame. The massive forward is finally starting to find his way offensively though, leading to a very interesting package of size and skill. In 52 games this season he registered 21 goals, good enough to tie him for seventh in league scoring. If he can continue the same development trajectory, the Red Wings might have found a late-round steal that can actually contribute to their lineup down the road.
They certainly would have gotten a good look. Soderblom has played with top prospect Simon Edvinsson on Frolunda going back to their junior days, meaning the Red Wings have seen his progression first hand while watching their prized draft pick recently. Signing him now will get him into the organization, and since his contract has expired in Sweden, it could actually mean he’ll be joining the Grand Rapids Griffins next season.
Even if he goes back for another year, the 20-year-old Soderblom is a player to watch for Detroit fans and one that has a massive ceiling if he can continue to marry size and skill as he did this year. His entry-level deal will kick in no matter where he plays, making him an RFA in the summer of 2025.