Three Available Free Agents that Could Fit Detroit Red Wings' Scoring Needs

The Detroit Red Wings were expected to make waves on July 1. Instead, its ripples barely registered. 

Heading into free agency following a near-miss playoff push that fueled the fires of postseason aspirations, Detroit entered the free agent cycle with reported eyes for some of the top players available. Instead, the Red Wings watched as Steven Stamkos, Jonathan Marchessault, Jake Guentzel and others signed for big money elsewhere. Ands much as retaining Patrick Kane was a win, it wasn't an advancement. Using the flawed metric of goals gained and lost through transactions, Detroit lost 67 scores since the end of the season and gained just nine. Instead of signing top-six scorers, the Red Wings prioritized depth checkers. Instead of Stamkos, they kept Fischer got Motte. At no discredit to the effectiveness of the acquired role players, they didn't do much to bandage an offense in need.

There was some foreshadowing to this, when GM Steve Yzerman and head coach Derek Lalonde both spoke of the need to play better defense next season. Goals aren't just hard to come by — they're expensive, and Detroit is cash-strapped with big extensions anticipated for Moritz Seider and Lucas Raymond. The opening moves of Yzerman's free agency only reinforced this narrative, and the signing of fourth-liner Tyler Motte on day two served to highlight it even further.

But, maybe Yzerman isn't done adding. Losing nearly a quarter of last season's offense to free agency is a problem that needs to be addressed. Time hasn't run out on the offseason, leaving hope that the Red Wings could find roster solutions through some crafty trades or eve through the remaining players in free agency. While the trade market would probably yield the best offensive players, it's hard to predict outside of rumors. Right now, it's worth looking at which available free agents might help Detroit.

Right now, the Red Wings have roughly $20 million in cap space with four restricted free agents left to sign. But, a potential trade of an excess goaltender or other deals could also free up some space. In other words, there's wiggle room.

So who might fit both salary constraints and roster needs? Who might add some much needed scoring to the lineup? Here are three forwards to keep in mind.

Vladimir Tarasenko, RW

Fresh off a Stanley Cup win with the Florida Panthers, Vladimir Tarasenko is still on the market as a free agent. Even at 32, he could bring scoring punch with his big shot and nifty stickhandling.

At his age, there's no telling if Tarasenko can match his totals season to season, but last year, he put up 55 points in 76 regular season games with Ottawa and Florida. In the postseason, he scored nine points in the Panthers' playoff run. He isn't the same 35 to 40 goal scorer he was at his prime, but Tarasenko still shoots well, and this Detroit could use another capable shooter in the middle six to diversify its options.

Tarasenko could play on the second line, but his best usage would be as a shooter on the third line alongside a potential rerun of the Andrew Copp and Michael Rasmussen duo. Whereas Christian Fischer made that third line a hard, checking unit, Tarasenko could give it some well-rounded offense through his shot. And he wouldn't be a complete aberration to that line's heavy play, as his game has picked up more physicality as he has aged. That was part of why he could be so effective down the lineup with the Panthers, where he became less of an offensive focal point and more so offensive depth. The Red Wings don't have Florida-level talent around him, but a similar third line role could net a similar source of scoring.

Right now, AFP Analytics projects Tarasenko to make $4,171,200 for two seasons on his next contract. Detroit probably can't afford anything close to that while still signing its RFAs, though a trade — particularly of a goalie — might free up enough cap space.

Jack Roslovic, C/RW

Roslovic isn't an automatic scorer, but his time in Columbus showed that he can be a 40-point player through his speed and playmaking. In 40 games with the Blue Jackets this season, he scored 23 points in a largely second line role. With the Rangers, depth slotted him into the bottom six where he scored eight points in 19 games. His shot won't add pure goals, but he can bring them out of his linemates by stretching out the defense in front of him and finding soft spots. As calculated by Moneypuck, Roslovic's 10.1 expected goals and 2.2% relative expected goals ranked seventh among Rangers forwards on a team with deep playoff aspirations. He was dependable and functional for New York, playing a big role in their playoff run that ended in the Eastern Conference Final.

Much like Tarasenko, Roslovic's best usage is probably on the third line to add a little speed. He's a faster, more offensively effective comparable for Christian Fischer, who the Red Wings can still lean on but who is, viewed by himself and not by his line chemistry, best utilized on the fourth line.

How much is that upgrade really worth? AFP Analytics projects a deal around three years, $3 million AAV. That's pretty manageable given the extra offensive oomph that Roslovic could bring to Detroit.

Tyler Johnson, RW/C

Way back in 2011, Steve Yzerman signed a UDFA forward from the Spokane Chiefs who had wrapped up his junior year with an explosive, 115-point season. That player was Tyler Johnson. Now, 738 games, 431 points and two Stanley Cup rings later, Johnson is a free agent looking for a new home.

While Johnson could bring his 30-point range production from the past two seasons, what he could really bring is his smarts. He became an effective two-way player in his career despite being 5-foot-9, relying on his feet and his brain to read and react to plays. As much as age might hamper the foot speed, the computations driving his play are still sharp.

On a Chicago Blackhawks team last season that wasn't competitive in roster or result, Johnson was one of two players who finished the season with an expected goal share greater than 50%, as calculated by Moneypuck. The other was Calder-winning No. 1 pick Connor Bedard. Bedard and Johnson also earned relative expected goal shares of 14% and 11.1%, respectively, meaning their team was overwhelmingly better with them on the ice. And just in case one thinks that Johnson got carried by the rookie phenom, he only played about 50 of his 1,041 minutes alongside him. Don't let a bad team obscure Johnson's talent.

How would he bring this to the Red Wings? One, he's the combination of effective player and veteran mentor that Yzerman has prioritized signing in his rebuild process. Especially with two-way players joining the fold in the near future, he could be a valuable teacher. But two, he could also bring some goals, too. His 17 goals last season were his best since tying a career-high of 29 in 2018-19. And if he can put together a 30-point campaign being a two-way player surrounded by a poor supporting cast, it's a wonder what he might produce with more depth around him in Detroit. A third element at play is that Yzerman was the GM who bet on Johnson at the start of his career. There's an established relationship to build off on both sides.

Out of the three players listed, Johnson would be the cheapest contract by far. AFP Analytics projects him to make $1.7 million on a one-year deal, which would be a little-to-no risk signing for Detroit.

There's no guarantee that these players would singlehandedly solve Detroit's scoring loss. That's likely a problem that internal improvement and rookie contributions will try to solve. But if Yzerman wants to pick up a scoring boost through free agency — that is, if he doesn't trade for an impact forward — then these three players could help.