Red Wings: Grading Yzerman’s Offseason Moves at the Halfway Point

The B+’s

Staal Trade  – B+

The only trade Yzerman made during the offseason was with the New York Rangers. The Red Wings agreed to take on Marc Staal’s contract in exchange for a second round pick.

It’s no secret in Detroit that Staal has had his share of struggles.  So why is this trade graded at a B? Well, in a year where Detroit was going to be a bottom feeder in almost every scenario, adding one more mediocre player hasn’t really hurt. Has Staal been a liability on the ice at times? Yes. But average (or even good) play won’t make a difference for this Red Wings team, and Yzerman knows this. And somehow, there is rumor that Staal could be dealt for more draft capital by the deadline (his numbers have been better because of the aforementioned Stecher). So in the end, while adding Staal might make the roster worse for now, it’s going to pay off in the future, maybe even with another draft pick. If he does that— it’s an A.

Buying Out Abdelkader  – B+

Justin Abdelkader’s departure from Detroit was long overdue. His ludicrous seven year contract was in its fifth year when the Red Wings bought out the remaining two seasons. In the 2019-20 season, Abdelkader had only 3 assists in 49 games played – not consistent with over $4 million in a cap hit.

The move was the right one. Buying out the contract not only saved Detroit space in the salary cap, it also signified that the organization was finally moving on from some of the contract sins of the Ken Holland era.

The move gets a B, as it won’t help build the Wing’s future success as much as draft picks and solid free agency pick ups will. But it was a good move to both speed up the rebuild and free up a little space for future signings.

Vladislav Namestnikov – B

Although not quite as effective as the Stecher and Ryan signings, the decision to add Vladislav Namestnikov to the lineup has proven a good one.

Although not blowing anyone away in points (9, tied for fifth on the team), Namestnikov has found a comfortable spot centering Detroit’s second line. Although occasionally carried a bit by the play of the second line wingers (Filip Zadina, Bobby Ryan, Robby Fabbri), most of the time he looks quite comfortable with them.

Namestnikov’s agility has been noticeable all year, often creating at least a few decent chances. However, it seems the former Tampa Bay Lightning player has had trouble finishing plays all year. If he can start cashing in on the chances he creates, the free agent move will go from a good one to a great one.

Jon Merrill – B

Merrill has quietly been a steady signing for Yzerman. He’s a minutes eater and also has a GAR of 2.4 (via Evolving-Hockey). Not bad for a guy signed to a deal just slightly under a million ($925,000). The signing didn’t break the bank, and it bolstered Detroit’s blue line depth.

B-/C+

Christian Djoos

Djoos was yet another player picked up to add depth to Detroit’s defense (this time claimed on waivers instead of signed as a free agent), and has done an average job halfway through the season. Although he can be a defensive liability at times, Djoos has shown that he is one of the few Red Wings defensemen willing to move up in the point to shoot. As a result, his two goals and four assists give him the second most points for Red Wings defensemen (Behind Filip Hronek). But until Djoos tightens up his defensive game, he’s right on that B-, C+ range for grading.

D+

Thomas Greiss

One of the bigger signings of the offseason for the Wings was goaltender Thomas Greiss. Greiss was coming off of a solid season with the New York Rangers, with a save percentage of .913 in 31 games played.

However, 17 games into his first season in Detroit, and the German goaltender’s percentage has dropped to .883.

It would be unreasonable to blame the slumping stats completely on Greiss. He has barely had support in most of his starts, and it’s almost a running joke that the rest of the team always seems to score less when he’s in net.

However, Greiss was signed to be this teams starting goaltender, and this far into the season, Jonathan Bernier seems to have that role pretty secure with his .910 save percentage. Making over $3 million dollars a year ($7.6 million, two years) puts the expectations a bit higher for Greiss, and so far, he has yet to live up to them.

Final Thoughts on the Yzerman’s Moves

Halfway through the season, Yzerman’s offseason moves have held up well. It’s possible Greiss turns the season around, or Namestnikov starts finishing on plays and lights up the scoring.

I also didn’t include Mantha’s re-signing because it’s still too early in terms of the four-year deal to really assign a grade.

It’s safe to say we have a solid understanding of what these moves have done. While not blowing anyone away, the changes made did what they were intended to do: speed up the rebuild by acquiring draft capital and keeping vets around to guide the rookies.

Look out for the trade deadline on April 12th. That’s when we’ll see just what kind of capital some of the free agent signings will net the Red Wings.