The Red Wings signed defenseman William Lagesson to a league minimum deal, adding blue line depth
The Detroit Red Wings made their first splash since the opening of free agency July 1 — if you can call it a splash, that is.
The Red Wings picked up defenseman William Lagesson on a one-year, $775,000 league minimum deal. After a journeyman's career the past few seasons, Lagesson, 28, will bring defensive depth, most likely at the AHL level.
Lagesson's career has been up and down, who was a fourth round pick of Edmonton in 2014. He played for four different NHL franchises over the last three seasons and spent all of 2022-23 in the AHL. Last season saw Lagesson play the most games of his career between the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Anaheim Ducks, a campaign that saw him set career highs in blocked shots (58) and hits (76) . He's a shutdown defenseman, but not a very controlling one as evidenced by his 46% Corsi and 47% on-ice expected goals share with Anaheim as calculated by Moneypuck.
With Lagesson, his move toward more physicality last season could help him become a more functional player at the NHL level. He's always had the size at 6-foot-2 and 200-plus pounds. But by using that size to his advantage, he can make life that much harder for opponents who cross his blue line. Considering how much the Red Wings value that sort of play in players like Ben Chiarot and even dynamic No. 1 D Moritz Seider, it is wise to find similar attributes deeper in the depth chart.
Lagesson isn't a signing that moves the needle for the Red Wings — really, this is a move for Grand Rapids. But, Lagesson is at least usable at the NHL level if Detroit faces injury or other problems. The Red Wings have $25 million in cap space, a significant portion of which will go to RFAs Moritz Seider and Lucas Raymond. A cheap deal like Lagesson's is one the Red Wings can cut without complicating other negotiations.
As far as the Red Wings' relative calm in free agency, this is probably in part due to their cap constraints but also due to how they re-signed their top target, Patrick Kane, last night. Detroit will need to furnish its roster with more depth, especially at defense where it lost Jake Walman and Shayne Gostisbehere from last year's D corps. The Red Wings are also looking for a third string goaltender. But, Steve Yzerman and his staff seem content to find those contributions later in free agency.
For now, depth adds like Lagesson will have to do.
