Detroit Red Wings still have options with $12 million in cap space left.
The main points of the NHL offseason have concluded as the Draft and start of free agency have come and gone with several headline stories that have kept fans interested.
The Detroit Red Wings made several big moves like a shocking trade to bring in all-star goaltender John Gibson. Much of the big name free agents have re-signed or have gone to their new teams but there still are some impact players that could see new deals.
Detroit is looking to still fill a couple minor holes on their roster and there still are available players that can help. The Red Wings have just over $12 million and cap space with room to make minor adds that could pay off in the long run. Here are three names we could see Detroit looking at as a potential options still left on the board.
The 28-year-old blueliner has struggled through different ailments over recent years with his most recent battle being with his mental health. Kylington has played just 54 games over the last two seasons and recorded 13 points during that span.
The Swedish defenceman has shown to be an impact player in the past with nine goals and 22 assists for 31 points through 73 games during the 2021-22 season with the Calgary Flames. Kylington could be a useful option with the expectation being a bottom pairing role as he could work in with Albert Johansson.
His confidence and hopefully his mental health could be built up in one of the best organizations in the AHL with the Grand Rapids Griffins. This could provide him with a massive boost in his overall confidence and tap back into his high upside as a second round pick back in 2015 by the Flames. His last 23 AHL games went as good as you can expect from a defenceman, as he totalled ten goals and seven assists for 17 points.
The top producing free agent left on the board is the Penguins blueliner, who is coming off a big season with the Penguins, where he put up a solid 40 points with over 20 minutes of ice-time per game. His 40 points had him tied for 26th in points by defenceman with his name in the same conversation as other difference making defenceman like Edmonton's Jake Walman and St. Louis's Cam Fowler.
The 31-year-old is likely looking for a bit of term to carry him into his mid- to late-30s and it appears teams aren't willing to meet him there. As a regular 20-30 point player he would likely work as a solid middle pairing defenceman that can handle serious minutes.
Detroit GM Steve Yzerman has made it clear he doesn't want to block pathways for young up-and-coming players, which makes this add not as likely but would add an immediate improvement to their blueline. He likely slides into the second pairing with Jacob Bernard-Docker while Ben Chiarot could look to work in with Johansson.
During his press conference following free agency, Yzerman noted the team is still open to bringing in another goaltender as the third goalie. This is because the AHL Griffins have a lot of young talent and not many NHL-ready goaltenders that could step up when John Gibson or backup Cam Talbot go down with injury.
A solid option could be the 29-year-old former all-star Alexandar Georgiev. Not many are looking to take a chance on the Sharks goaltender last season as he put up brutal numbers across the board like a 3.88 goals against average and a .875 save percentage.
We covered the fit in a different story and how Georgiev could benefit from playing in a Todd McLellan and could have the upside he showed during his days when he was an all-star with the Colorado Avalanche. He is a low-risk play with higher upside than most available on the market and could be worth a shot.
