3 Forwards That the Red Wings Need to Pursue in Free Agency
By Evan Mead
Filip Forsberg, LW
We talked about Kevin Fiala and Valeri Nichushkin so far, but now we get to the superstar- Filip Forsberg.
Filip Forsberg has been a staple for Nashville hockey since coming into the league in 2014. Since that point, he has done nothing except give his all to the city of Nashville. Having been drafted by the Predators back in 2011 with the 11th overall selection, he has turned out to be one of the best players in that draft class.
In his career with the Nashville Predators he has played in 566 total games. In those 566 games, he has totaled 220 goals, 249 assists for a total of 469 points. But what’s crazy about that is that even now, as a 27-year old, he seems to get better each and every season. In fact, this past season, Forsberg only played in 69 games but he hit his career high in every category. He had 42 goals and 42 assists for 84 total points. Incredibly impressive. But now they run into the problem with his potentially not re-signging due to a team like Detroit wanting him more.
More than likely, every playoff team with cap space will be looking at him. Additionally, every team that is looking to add a veteran or two that can produce will be on him as well which means there will be a bidding war without a doubt. I expect teams like New Jersey, Columbus, Winnipeg, and I’m sure many more.
Forsberg will be one of the most popular names in the market this year and rather or not he wants to go back to Nashville will be interesting. After not making it to the Stanley cup in his tenure there, it’s going to be rather interesting to see what he does. Does he want to go where the money takes him? Does he want to go play with a younger team with rising stars? He’ll have his choice of teams.
Contract Options
Option A: 4yrs/$40,000,000($10,000,000 AAV)