The First 48: The Detroit Red Wings' Step in the Right Direction

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The first 48 hours of free agency are some of the most important hours of the entire offseason.

The Detroit Red Wings made multiple smart choices during the first 48 hours of free agency. The first two days of free agency are the most important for every team in the league.

When it comes to free agency there is a lot that needs to be determined and discussed within the organization. Should they target players in free agency? What positions do they need to improve upon?

Teams do their best to sign “their” guy. In this case, the “Yzerplan” was flawlessly executed. The team went out and got what they needed. In a previous article, I stated we needed to address adding depth and scoring and that’s exactly what they did.

All of these wishes came true in a short time. What type of step did the signings allow the Wings to take? No Complacency and Playoffs.

“We have a lot of improving to do,” Yzerman said. “With the young players coming in and a small nucleus of remaining players, I think we are trending in the right direction. But we will see how this season plays out to gauge where we are. It’s another step in the process.” -MLIVE Ansar Khan

Now we can examine how the signings effect our forward group and defensive core.

Andrew Copp. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images) /

The Forward Group

We will see the signings impact immediately in training camp. Having added three top six forwards, The depth has been addressed.

The Red Wings brought in Andrew Copp, David Perron and Dominik Kubalik. These players can score and play with grit. The team can also play four solid lines.

Yzerman also signed two NHL capable forwards in Matt Luff and Austin Czarnik. And these signings. although they don’t seem important, could be more significant than most may think.

These two have shown they can be top AHL players that will help develop the Wings’ younger prospects on the Griffins. Additionally, they are on the cusp of being everyday NHLers as well. They will be the hungriest to earn a spot and will push players that may be on the bubble (for many different reasons) to play their best every day.

I feel that returning Red Wing players need to be at their best to ensure they are playing every night. Hopefully, we see renewed vigor with the internal competition up front with Derek Lalonde as coach. Players that will be needing to prove themselves this training camp will be (in no order) are: Zadina, Rasmussen, Sundqvist, Veleno, and Smith. The players need play up to their potential to keep a roster spot. This log-jam of forwards will cause complications and challenges for players and coaches.

Ben Chiarot. (Photo by Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images) /

The Defenseman

The tandem of Ville Husso and Alex Nedeljkovic is an upgrade in goal. Which was just one of the many things that needed to be addressed this off-season. One of the other things that needed to be addressed was the defense.

They Red Wings added, Ben Chiarot, Olli Maatta, and Mark Pysyk to help bolster the defense with NHL experience and grit.

The team proved last season they were too soft in their own end, especially in the corners. Based on the current roster and everyone being healthy, we could see something like this opening night: Chiarot-Seider, Edvinsson-Maatta, Walman-Hronek with Lindstrom and Pysyk as the extras.

Chiarot is coming off of a career high in points. In my opinion, he was the secret sauce to Montreal’s Stanley Cup Final run two seasons ago. His ability to keep players out of the crease, shot blocking, and to shut down the oppositions top players will allow Seider to show his offense game more often.

Maatta has shown he has been a dependable defenseman putting up a solid plus/minus rating his entire career. As a veteran of 500+ NHL games, he will be a good guide to any younger partner he will have. Pysyk is another veteran of 500+ games. His career has had some adversity playing on a declining Sabres team and a rebuilding Panthers team.

Pysyk will be great 7th defenseman and will be capable off filling in full-time, if needed. The defense could still be improved over the summer with another signing or via trade.

Steve Yzerman made comment of his work over the last 48 hours.

Today, it’s July 14th, and I think we’ve improved the team” – @detroitredwings Instagram

The team is better and will compete with what is currently on paper and in their organization. There is one thing we can always count on with the “Yzerplan”, the side-step. The Wings have, indeed, taken a step forward. Some have debated that Yzerman’s quote has indicated the team is ready for October. I believe there is still negotiations for Nazem Kadri. Kadri accelerates the rebuild. His 200-foot game, his goal scoring ability, and his ability to play on the edge makes the Wings top-six very formidable.

Remember the log-jam of forwards and the defense could use some improvement? Well, whether Kadri is signed or not, there most likely will be a trade of one or more of our forwards for a top-four defenseman. I personally would love Shea Theodore from the Vegas Golden Knights or Jeff Petry from the Montreal Canadiens. I evaluated the options to obtain these players in a previous post. Looking at our new additions up front, we may have different assets available in a trade.

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Needless to say, the first 48 hours of free agency set the table for the Wings to compete for a playoff spot and be an exciting team to watch as they take their next steps.

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