The Red Wings Need To Have A Strong Summer
The Red Wings have missed the playoffs for the ninth consecutive season, prompting hockey pundits and fans to question the direction of the team and whether general manager Steve Yzerman is the right man to lead the club. Yzerman was hired six years ago to steer the Red Wings through a rebuild, and while he has hit on some of his moves, he hasn’t been able to lead the Red Wings back to the playoffs in what has become the longest postseason drought in the franchise’s 98-year history. The Red Wings have been close to making the playoffs the last few seasons, but they need a big summer to get them over the hump and back into the hunt in the Eastern Conference.
Detroit’s play has been incredibly inconsistent in the past two seasons. They start slow and then pick up their play in the middle of the season, only to fall apart down the stretch. This year, the club was boosted by a coaching change after Christmas when they relieved Derek Lalonde of his duties and replaced him with Todd McLellan. The Red Wings went 17-5-2 after the coaching change to get back into the thick of the playoff race, but then rattled off six regulation losses and never recovered.
Assessing what went wrong is essential before determining what needs to be done this summer. Detroit was undone by the worst penalty kill in the NHL this season, with a success rate of just 69.5%, almost three percent lower than the Wild’s second-worst penalty kill. The other issue the Red Wings need to address is their poor 5-on-5 offensive numbers, largely covered up by their effective power play. Detroit scored the fourth-lowest 5-on-5 goals in the league, which they must improve upon if they hope to reach the playoffs next year.
Detroit’s rebuild could be characterized as still in motion or taking too long. Despite that, the Red Wings have plenty of reasons for optimism. Many of their top players, such as Lucas Raymond and Moritz Seider, are in their early to mid-20s, and they have several promising prospects, including Nate Danielson and Axel Sandin-Pellikka, who are nearing NHL readiness. This summer, it will be crucial to surround these younger pieces with capable NHL talent who can elevate the team and play within McLellan’s structure.
Yzerman’s work has been a mixed bag in Detroit, with some successes and setbacks regarding trades and free agency. This summer, he badly needs to avoid mistakes in free agency, which he has had his fair share of in recent seasons. Defenseman Justin Holl’s three-year $10.2MM contract has been an unmitigated disaster, and center Andrew Copp was signed to a massive five-year deal worth $28.125MM in 2022 but has fallen to the bottom six and has seen his offensive numbers drop off. The list could go on, but the point is that Yzerman has struggled to build around his stars. Many of his forwards are overpaid, and Yzerman likely isn’t going to find much help in free agency without overpaying even more players. The trade market is probably the best avenue for Yzerman, and it is a place where he has found a lot of success in his career as a GM, but that doesn’t mean he shouldn’t dip his toe in the free agent market.
Detroit needs a right-shot defenseman to slide in behind Seider on the second pairing after Holl and Jeff Petry did not work out in that role in previous seasons. This is one spot where Yzerman could find help with free agency, as Aaron Ekblad is available. However, the cost could become prohibitive. The Red Wings are projected to have $22MM in cap space this summer but will need to sign five players and have a handful of RFAs. Daily Faceoff projects Ekblad to sign a contract in the range of $6.9MM annually. If Detroit were to miss on him, Brent Burns of the Carolina Hurricanes would also be available, but at 40 years old, he wouldn’t be a long-term fit.
The most prolific right-shot defenseman on the trade market will likely be Erik Karlsson of the Pittsburgh Penguins. Karlsson would help the Red Wings at 5-on-5 but wouldn’t relieve their penalty kill. Karlsson can still put up points, but he comes with a $10MM price tag that Pittsburgh might be willing to retain part of. Detroit was 25th in offense this season, and Karlsson could help from the backend, but his presence would put a lot of pressure on whoever he is paired with. At 34 years old, the three-time Norris Trophy winner can still put up points, but the turnovers and defensive lapses have reached another level this season, giving any team that tries to acquire him serious pause.
Rasmus Ristolainen of the Philadelphia Flyers could be a player of interest to the Red Wings, but they would be wise to avoid making that move, given the past state of his game and the $5.1MM cap hit he carries. There will be an appeal to Ristolainen’s game since he is a big body with a nasty shot, but the warts in his game would be too much for Detroit to add to a top-four that is already not very good.
If Detroit can’t compensate for their penalty-killing and goal-scoring troubles, Mitch Marner is an available UFA who would help in both areas. The 27-year-old forward is the type of player the Red Wings could and should be aggressive in pursuing. Sure, he would eat up most of the remaining cap space they have, but he would be a top-line player who could help improve their penalty-killing and 5-on-5 play. The Markham, Ontario native has received Selke Trophy consideration for six straight years and could be just the piece Detroit has been missing in their top six.
Detroit could look to the free agency and trade markets for scoring depth. If that is a route they are interested in, Yzerman would be wise to avoid overspending on another mid-tier player and instead look for a short-term bounce-back candidate, such as Andrei Kuzmenko, who has performed well since being traded to the Kings at the deadline. Detroit has too much money tied up in too many underperforming depth players and can’t afford to insert another one into the lineup long-term. Marner is an exception, as he is a top-line player and should perform well through the bulk of his next deal.
Detroit fans are hopeful that a playoff position is within their grasp for next year, and the bones are in place to make that happen; they will just need a strong summer to address the holes in the roster construction and the shortcomings that kept them out of the postseason this year.
Photo by James Carey Lauder-USA TODAY Sports
Sharks Notes: Celebrini, Mukhamadullin, Gushchin, Schuldt, Carlsson
Sharks center Macklin Celebrini will suit up for Canada at the upcoming World Championship, reports Max Miller of Sharks Hockey Digest. The rookie was actually originally named to the squad last year but ultimately didn’t play. The number one pick last year, Celebrini had an impressive rookie campaign, tallying 25 goals and 38 assists in 70 games to lead San Jose in scoring, five points ahead of William Eklund, who will play for the host Swedes. Meanwhile, Miller adds that it’s unclear if their other top rookie, Will Smith, will play for Team USA at the event. Smith was fourth on the Sharks in scoring with 45 points in 74 games.
More from San Jose:
- Defenseman Shakir Mukhamadullin underwent successful shoulder surgery and is expected to be ready for the start of training camp, relays Sheng Peng of San Jose Hockey Now (Twitter link). The 23-year-old suited up for 30 games with the Sharks this season, collecting nine points and 51 blocked shots while averaging a little over 18 minutes a night of playing time. Mukhamadullin also had nine assists in 21 games with the AHL’s Barracuda. He’s expected to push for a full-time lineup spot next season.
- The team announced (Twitter links) that they’ve assigned forward Daniil Gushchin and defensemen Jimmy Schuldt and Lucas Carlsson to AHL San Jose. Gushchin got into a dozen games with the Sharks this season, notching just one assist. Meanwhile, Carlsson had a goal and three assists in 13 games while Schuldt was held off the scoresheet in his eight outings, his first NHL action since late in the 2018-19 campaign. The Barracuda recently clinched a playoff spot and will certainly be happy to have one of their top scorers and two of their better blueliners back for the postseason.
Minor Transactions: 4/17/25
With several teams seeing their 2024-25 seasons come to an end in recent days (with more to come tonight), there has been an influx of players being returned to the minors. We’ll keep track of the moves that have not been already covered here.
- The Ducks have returned wingers Nikita Nesterenko and Sam Colangelo to AHL San Diego, per a team release. Nesterenko played in a career-best 20 games with Anaheim this season, potting four goals and two assists. With the Gulls, he has 13 goals and 21 assists in 48 contests. As for Colangelo, he had ten goals and two helpers in 32 NHL outings while he’s just shy of a point per game in the minors with 35 points in 38 contests.
- The Canucks announced (Twitter link) that they’ve returned defensemen Kirill Kudryavtsev and Victor Mancini, forwards Aatu Raty, Linus Karlsson, Max Sasson, and Ty Mueller, along with goaltender Nikita Tolopilo to AHL Abbotsford. Raty, Sasson, and Karlsson saw the most action with Vancouver this season with Raty being the most productive with 11 points in 33 appearances. Mancini got into 16 games after being acquired in the J.T. Miller swap, while the other three all made their respective NHL debuts in recent days. They will be big additions to an Abbotsford team who has been the hottest team in the league over the last several weeks.
- The Devils announced that they’ve returned forwards Mike Hardman and Marc McLaughlin to AHL Utica. Both players were recalled on Wednesday and suited up in their regular season finale. Hardman had an assist in two NHL games while contributing 35 points with the Comets. As for McLaughlin, his NHL season wrapped up with two goals and three assists in 14 games between New Jersey and Boston while adding 19 points in 48 outings between their respective AHL franchises.
Kraken Notes: Francis, Mahura, Grubauer, Hayden
While this season was certainly a disappointing one for the Kraken, there won’t be a big change coming in the front office. Team CEO Tod Leiweke confirmed to reporters including Kate Shefte of The Seattle Times (Twitter link) that GM Ron Francis will return for his fifth season in 2025-26. Seattle has missed the playoffs in three of its first four seasons which generally isn’t abnormal for an expansion franchise but the early success Vegas had increased expectations. Their lone playoff year came in 2022-23 when they had 100 points but they managed just 76 this season despite handing out two of the bigger deals in free agency last summer to Brandon Montour and Chandler Stephenson. The team projects to have more than $21MM in cap room this summer, per PuckPedia, so Francis could be a big spender once again.
More from Seattle:
- Defenseman Josh Mahura is hoping to re-sign with the Kraken this summer, Shefte relays. The 26-year-old signed a one-year, $775K deal last year after being non-tendered by Florida back in June. Mahura had a decent season in a limited role, playing in 64 games where he had nine assists while logging a little under 14 minutes a night. It’s likely that his next contract should check in once again at or near the league minimum and it wouldn’t be surprising if Seattle looked to bring him back in a similar role for next season.
- Goaltender Philipp Grubauer will play for Germany at the upcoming World Championship, Shefte notes in the same column. It was another rough year for 33-year-old, whose 3.49 GAA and .875 SV% were the worst marks of his career and saw him limited to just 26 games, plus seven more in the minors after clearing waivers. He has two years left on his contract at a $5.9MM AAV, making him a speculative buyout candidate this summer.
- The team announced (Twitter link) that center John Hayden was assigned to AHL Coachella Valley. He cleared waivers last week in advance of being returned to the Firebirds for their playoff run. The 30-year-old had a goal and an assist in 20 games with Seattle and will be an unrestricted free agent this summer.
Ian Mitchell Clears Waivers, Bruins Reassign Six To AHL
Thursday: Mitchell has cleared waivers, relays Mark Divver of the New England Hockey Journal. He has been returned to Providence as well.
Wednesday: The Boston Bruins have made a wave of roster moves after playing their final game of the season on Tuesday. Most notably, defenseman Ian Mitchell has been placed on waivers for the purpose of assignment to the minor leagues. If he clears, he’ll join five other Bruins headed to Providence: forwards Fabian Lysell, Fraser Minten, John Farinacci, and Vinni Lettieri; and defenseman Frederic Brunet. All six players have spent time in the minor leagues this season.
Mitchell will be available to all teams in the league, though post-Trade Deadline roster rules would require a claiming team to assign him to their own AHL squad. In returning to the minors, Mitchell will return to the productive 27 points he scored in 46 games with Providence earlier this season. That mark led all Providence defensemen in scoring this season, even despite the rest of the blue-line playing upwards of 20 more games. Mitchell’s two-way impact and stout scoring earned him the role of extra defenseman after Boston traded top-four defender Brandon Carlo to the Toronto Maple Leafs at the deadline.
Mitchell stepped into 15 games with the Bruins this season but only managed one point, two penalty minutes, and a minus-two. His appearances were quiet once again, lining up with the two points and 10 PIMs he recorded in 13 games with Boston last season – though he did manage a stronger plus-six that year. Mitchell has rotated between major and minor rosters for the last five NHL seasons. He has six points in nine career Calder Cup Playoff games, and would be an impactful addition to either Providence’s – or another squad’s – postseason run.
This wave of roster moves also features Boston’s top two prospects in Minten and Lysell. Both forwards rotated into the NHL lineup through the latter half of this season, but struggled to find much scoring. Minten scored just one goal in six appearances with the Bruins. Lysell recorded three points in 12 games, though they were all scored within his last four appearances. Both rookies seemed to become more-and-more comfortable in the NHL lineup as the season went on. Lysell ended the season on an impressive hot-streak that saw him actively seeking out the puck and making long-stretches of plays. Minten seemed to adjust well to a move to Boston, after being acquired in the aforementioned Carlo trade.
Both prospects have been productive in the minors. Lysell has 34 points in 51 AHL games this season – a mark he outscored with 50 points in 56 games last season. Minten has scored 30 points in 36 combined AHL games this season, including seven points in 10 games with Providence. The duo will look to carve out top roles and meaningful impacts as Providence enters the postseason.
They’ll be backed by a wave of veteran depth in Farinacci, Lettieri, and Brunet. All three have found top-end roles in Providence, led by Lettieri, whose 48 points in 46 games this season leads the AHL Bruins in point-per-game scoring. Farinacci is scoring at a career-high pace from behind Lettieri in the lineup, netting 37 points in 57 AHL games – just shy of his 38 points in 71 games last season. Even Brunet has found production from the blue-line, with 24 points in 68 games the second-best on the Providence defense behind Mitchell. All three players carved out their roles in Providence early in the season and will reassume them with this move – Lettieri and Farinacci headed back to the top-six on offense, and Brunet headed for a clear top-four role on the defense.
Blackhawks Notes: James, Bedard, Sörensen, Brossoit
It seems unlikely that the Chicago Blackhawks will sign one of their collegiate prospects to an entry-level deal. Relayed by Scott Powers of The Athletic, Blackhawks General Manager Kyle Davidson shared in the team’s end-of-season press availability that prospect Dominic James will likely pursue other options for his professional career and become an unrestricted free agent on August 15th.
Normally, a former sixth-round draft pick becoming a collegiate free agent wouldn’t be newsworthy. However, James has established himself as a particularly capable two-way winger in the NCAA, possessing a defensive and offensive maturity that NHL teams would be interested in.
Although last year was mired by injury, James scored 30 goals and 77 points in 111 contests for the University of Minnesota-Duluth over the past four campaigns. He’s unlikely to earn a full-time role in the NHL out of training camp next year, but cleaner paths toward the NHL should emerge for him this offseason.
Other notes from Chicago:
- Although he’s ineligible for unrestricted free agency for some time, the Blackhawks can sign Connor Bedard to a long-term extension on July 1st. It doesn’t sound like he’ll have any issues if that came to pass, as Ben Pope of The Chicago Sun-Times quoted Bedard saying, “I love it here, and I have a great relationship with Kyle and everyone… I know that I want to be here for a long time.” It wouldn’t be surprising, especially considering the past several years, to see a former first-overall selection sign an extension relatively quickly with the club that drafted him.
- After another disappointing campaign, it’s understandable that Chicago would want to explore different coaching options this summer. Still, that doesn’t mean interim head coach Anders Sörensen wants to leave the organization. Pope reported that Sörensen is open to taking another role within the organization. Before being named the team’s interim head coach on December 5th, he served as head coach for the AHL’s Rockford IceHogs since 2022-23.
- Despite being signed to a two-year, $6.6MM contract last summer, netminder Laurent Brossoit didn’t appear in a game for the Blackhawks this season due to injury. Still lacking clarity regarding the seriousness of his injury, Pope shared that Chicago was hopeful Brossoit “may” be healthy for next season, and could battle for a roster spot out of training camp. Regardless of Brossoit’s status, the Blackhawks already have their tandem for next year in Spencer Knight and Arvid Söderblom.
Penguins Recall Sam Poulin On Emergency Basis
As previously reported by Seth Rorabaugh of The Tribune-Review, the Pittsburgh Penguins have announced the emergency recall of forward Samuel Poulin from their AHL affiliate, the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins.
It wasn’t all that long ago that Poulin was considered one of the Penguins’ top prospects, and by some accounts, he still is. Pittsburgh selected Poulin with the 21st overall pick of the 2019 NHL Draft, and he scored 16 goals and 37 points in 72 games during his rookie AHL campaign in 2021-22.
Unfortunately, largely due to an extended leave of absence, Poulin didn’t take any developmental steps the following season. Still, he returned as a solid secondary scorer for the AHL Penguins in 2023-24, scoring 16 goals and 31 points in 41 contests.
This season has been his best in professional hockey by far. He’s fourth on WBS in scoring, managing 19 goals and 43 points in 56 games with a +5 rating. Meanwhile, he’s registered a career-record six appearances with Pittsburgh this season, notching one assist while averaging 10:06 of ice time per game.
Given the assumed roster turnover in Pittsburgh this summer, there’s a significant opportunity for Poulin to crack the 2025-26 opening night roster. He’s signed through next season on a league-minimum salary, and the Penguins have nothing to lose by allowing him a longer tryout than they’ve afforded in the past.
Kings Recall Taylor Ward, Reassign Caleb Jones
There will now be two Taylor Wards in the Los Angeles area. The Kings announced they’ve recalled Ward from their AHL affiliate, the Ontario Reign, on an emergency basis and reassigned defenseman Caleb Jones in a corresponding roster move.
While the other Ward has patrolled left field for the MLB’s Los Angeles Angels for the last eight years, the Kings’ Ward has spent the last three-and-a-half years with AHL Ontario, including the 2024-25 AHL season. After a four-year career with the NCAA’s University of Nebraska-Omaha program, Los Angeles brought Ward into the organization as a collegiate free agent in 2022.
He’s been a capable tertiary scorer for the Reign, scoring 35 goals and 59 points in 223 AHL contests. Without having much in the way of postseason experience, Ward has registered two goals and eight points in 14 playoff games. There’s no word on whether or not he’ll suit up for the Kings tonight. Still, they have nothing to lose by allowing him to make his NHL debut.
Meanwhile, Jones was recalled on an emergency basis only a few days ago. He appeared in his first NHL contest in five months, registering zero points against the Seattle Kraken after accruing 11:20 of ice time. Jones, as Ward will eventually, will now be tasked with helping the Reign in their pursuit of the Calder Cup.
Michael Carcone Will Test Free Agency
Utah winger Michael Carcone isn’t interested in re-signing with the Club and will test unrestricted free agency this summer, he told reporters during today’s exit meetings (via Brogan Houston of Deseret News).
Carcone said he was looking for more consistent playing time, something he definitely didn’t get in Utah following his breakout 21-goal season with the Coyotes last year. The 28-year-old was in the press box for long stretches of the campaign, including an eight-game streak near the beginning of the season. He also spent nine of Utah’s final 10 games as a healthy scratch as Utah chased but ultimately fell short of a postseason berth.
When dressed, Carcone was similarly productive on a per-game basis as he was last year in Arizona. He wasn’t scoring goals at the clip he did in 2023-24, but upped his assist tally to make up for it. He finished the year with 7-12–19 in 53 games, a 29-point pace over a full season. That’s fine production for a diminutive third or fourth-line scoring forward like Carcone. He averaged 11:26 per game and shot at a 9.3% clip, less than half of the 18.9% finishing rate that fueled last year’s goal-scoring performance.
The Ontario native is two years removed from an AHL scoring title, posting 31-54–85 in 65 games with Tucson in the 2022-23 season. He’s stuck on NHL rosters in Arizona and Utah since then on the two-year, $1.55MM contract he signed in the 2023 offseason. He’s shown enough staying power at the NHL level to earn a small pay bump this summer. AFP Analytics projected a one-year, $1MM extension if he was to stay in Utah, a deal he could likely improve upon slightly on the open market.
Thus, look for teams in need of a tertiary scoring option to look to Carcone as a high-upside option that won’t break the bank. Cap-conscious teams looking to augment their depth scoring next year like the Predators, Bruins, and Wild could be fits of mutual interest.
Atlantic Notes: Lindholm, Roy, McCabe, Ekman-Larsson, Puljujärvi
Bruins center Elias Lindholm dealt with a back injury throughout his first season in Boston, he revealed to reporters at today’s exit meetings (via Ty Anderson of 98.5 The Sports Hub). He sustained it in August, and it’s what caused him to miss most of training camp before playing all 82 games for the Bruins. It should offer some explanation for his continued offensive struggles, posting 17-30–47 for a 0.57 points per game rate after signing a massive seven-year, $54.25MM deal with Boston in free agency. This year marked Lindholm’s second straight campaign with less than 20 goals after he potted 42 for the Flames in 2021-22. He remains one of the league’s better faceoff-takers with a 55.2% win rate on nearly 1,400 draws, but that alone doesn’t justify his $7.75MM cap hit without increased offensive production. Boston will hope for a rebound next year to aid in their retooling.
Elsewhere in the Atlantic:
- Canadiens prospect Joshua Roy won’t be on their playoff roster, at least to start. The team announced that they’ve sent him to AHL Laval, which is on the verge of clinching the AHL’s regular-season title and is set to begin a playoff run themselves. The 21-year-old winger had been on Montreal’s roster since March 10 but was a healthy scratch in their final 11 games as they successfully chased a wild-card berth. A 2021 fifth-round pick, Roy ends his second NHL season with just two goals and a minus-six rating in 12 appearances. He’s been a continued first-line threat in Laval, where he scored 20-15–35 in 46 games before his most recent call-up.
- The Maple Leafs expect defensemen Oliver Ekman-Larsson and Jake McCabe to be available for Game 1 of their first-round series against the Senators on Sunday, head coach Craig Berube said today (via David Alter of The Hockey News). Neither will dress in tonight’s season finale against the Red Wings. OEL will end up missing the final four games of the season with an upper-body injury, while McCabe will miss a seventh straight game with an undisclosed injury. Both have been invaluable pieces of Toronto’s blue line in 2024-25, averaging north of 21 minutes per game with some of the best two-way metrics on the team.
- Panthers winger Jesse Puljujärvi was sent to AHL Charlotte yesterday ahead of the playoffs, but he won’t be available immediately if Florida decides to recall him during the postseason. The NHL’s Department of Player Safety announced they’ve suspended him for two games for an illegal check to the head of Lightning winger Mitchell Chaffee in Tuesday night’s game. It’s the first supplemental discipline of Puljujärvi’s eight-year career.