Steve Yzerman gave his Detroit Red Wings quite an offseason makeover over the past week, making changes at every position to a team that chased a playoff spot all the way till the last game of the season.
It's the business side of managing a team: It was neither sustainable nor realistic for the Wings' general manager to keep everyone and see if the same group could do better in 2024-25. The defense had to be addressed, given the amount of money tied up in players not even in the lineup, and so did goaltending, after last season's presumptive starter spent more time in sick bay than in games.
Up front, it was more a case of external factors that drove change, leading Yzerman to (eventually) sign the remaining big-name forward left three days into free agency.
Yzerman may make further changes, of course, before training camp in mid-September, but here is what the Wings look like after all the changes made over the past two weeks or so.
The forwards
The priority here was keeping Patrick Kane, and now the Wings should have the benefit of Kane coming to camp and being with them the entire season, instead of making a December debut, as he did last season. He's a game-changer, a sublime talent who makes everyone around him better.
There was also interest in keeping David Perron, but the Wings weren't about to come anywhere close to the $8 million (over two seasons) the 36-year-old got from the Ottawa Senators. Daniel Sprong wasn't a fit to bring back, once he sat on the sidelines late in the season.
To buffer some of the offense lost in those two (a combined 35 goals), Yzerman signed Vladimir Tarasenko for $9.5 million over two seasons. Tarasenko, 32, was the only headliner left after the opening day of free agency. He fleshes out the top six — literally, at 6 feet 1 and 219 pounds — and gives the Wings a top-notch shooter with six seasons with at least 30 goals.
In order to fit Tarasenko under the salary cap, Yzerman traded Robby Fabbri and his $4 million cap hit to the Anaheim Ducks. The Wings have about $20 million left in salary cap space, and that should be just enough to sign restricted free agents Moritz Seider, Lucas Raymond, Joe Veleno and Jonatan Berggren.
Christian Fischer was re-signed in free agency, and Michigan alumnus Tyler Motte (St. Clair), a veteran of 400 NHL games, was added for depth at the center position.
That leaves a forward group led by captain Dylan Larkin and featuring Kane, Tarasenko, Raymond, Alex DeBrincat and J.T. Compher in the top six. In the bottom six, there's Fischer, Motte, Veleno, Berggren, Andrew Copp and Michael Rasmussen. Berggren pretty much projects to fill the spot vacated by Sprong — fourth-line winger and power play contributor.
Come camp, expect prospects Carter Mazur, Marco Kasper and Nate Danielson to push for jobs. There's also Jacob Rychlosky, a 22-year-old free agent signing coming off a breakout year in his native Czechia.
The defense
Yzerman traded Jake Walman a week before free agency, needing to unload a defenseman with a $3.4 million salary cap hit after he was a healthy scratch down the stretch, and making room for the arrival of Simon Edvinsson. The Wings already had Justin Holl and his $3.4 million cap hit sitting on the sidelines. Holl, who shoots right, was brought in last summer on a three-year deal, but the coaching staff repeatedly sat him in favor of playing Jeff Petry, another veteran righty. Retaining Holl and Petry provides right-side depth behind Seider.
Behind Kane, keeping Shayne Gostisbehere was second on the Wings' to-do list of their own free agents, but Gostisbehere took a pay cut (from $4.125 million to $3.2 million annually) for a longer deal — three years from the Carolina Hurricanes. To offset that loss — and to better manage the money spent on the defense — Yzerman signed Erik Gustafsson away from the New York Rangers for $4 million over two years. The 32-year-old lefty will get to audition to run one of the power play units come camp. (Petry is also an option for that role.)
That leaves a defense corps headlined by Seider and featuring veterans Gustafsson, Holl, Petry, Ben Chiarot and Olli Määttä. Add to that list Edvinsson, who is earmarked for a bigger role based on how well he played after being called up in March, and Albert Johansson, a 2019 second-round draft pick who is no longer waiver-exempt.
Goaltending
It seemed like every other move Yzerman made involved a goaltender: Signing Cam Talbot, signing Jack Campbell and acquiring Gage Alexander (in the Fabbri trade). That's on top of already having Alex Lyon and Ville Husso under contract for next season.
Essentially, Talbot is insurance for Husso, who missed the latter two-thirds of the season battling a lower-body injury. Yzerman said last week that Husso is healthy and training, but Husso was also believed to be healthy when he entered the lineup in mid-February, and he didn't even last 10 minutes. Like last year, the Wings will go into exhibition season with three goalies and see how things play out. Last year Lyon played too well for them to put him on waivers (he would most certainly have been claimed) and keeping him turned out to be a prescient move given Husso's health and James Reimer's struggles.
Campbell (Port Huron) is earmarked for the Grand Rapids Griffins, where he'll provide depth, should the Wings need it, and mentor 2021 first-round pick Sebastian Cossa. Alexander may end up in the minors, or a piece in a trade.
