Red Wings’ left-shot power-play options scarce if D-man ghosts them

The Detroit Red Wings’ power play ranked in the bottom half of the NHL for eight years before Shayne Gostisbehere arrived last summer.

The long-time problematic man-advantage then shot up to ninth in the league at 23.1 percent. It was twice as efficient as it was three years before (11.4 percent in 2020-21).

Gostisbehere helped fuel the surge with a team-leading 29 power-play points.

He was the left-shooting point man the Red Wings needed on the first unit to complement the right-shooting Moritz Seider at the point on the second unit.

This is why general manager Steve Yzerman left no doubt after the season his desire to re-sign Gostisbehere, an unrestricted free agent, despite his defensive shortcomings.

“He was very good on the power play,” Yzerman said. “You need to be good defenders, but you also got to have some defense that generate offense and play on the power play. … He’s a valuable player for how we’re set up on the back end.”

Gostisbehere, 31, likely is seeking a multiyear deal after signing for one year at $4.125 million.

If he doesn’t return, the Red Wings’ most viable internal option for a left-shooting power-play point man would be Jake Walman, who saw brief glimpses on the unit the past two seasons due to his hard shot.

Young left-shooting D-men Simon Edvinsson and Albert Johansson will start the season on the NHL roster but neither is ready to assume a role on the power play.

The Red Wings would need to replace Gostisbehere through trade or free agency, and the market is thin with left-shooting defensemen with offensive ability. Here’s a look at three possibilities (with age, 2023-24 cap hit):

Brady Skjei, Carolina (30, $5.25 million): The Hurricanes have the cap space to re-sign a couple of their UFA defensemen (Skjei, Brett Pesce, Tony DeAngelo) if they choose. If Skjei hits the market, he’ll be in demand, coming off 13 goals and a career-high 47 points (including a career-best 12 on the power play).

Oliver Ekman-Larsson, Florida (32, $2.25 million): He hasn’t been used as much on the power play the past two seasons (one goal, 14 assists), but has 59 career goals and 186 points on the man-advantage, mostly with the Coyotes. He had his best season (nine goals, 32 points) since 2018-19 and the Panthers would probably like to re-sign him but Sam Reinhart and Brandon Montour are their priorities. Ekman-Larsson is getting paid $2.1 million in each of the next seven seasons by Vancouver after being bought out last summer.

Erik Gustafsson, N.Y. Rangers (32, $825,000): The man who’s played for seven teams in five seasons has only six power-play goals and none since 2019-20. But he facilitates, with 27 power-play assists the past three seasons. He has produced 73 points overall in the past two seasons and would probably be a low-cost option.