Detroit Red Wings: Adding a top scorer needs to be a priority this offseason

The Detroit Red Wings have a glaring need.

I am a big proponent of building a roster from the inside out, meaning building a team down the middle with a couple of top centers, a true top defensive pairing, and a legitimate NHL number-one netminder. Whatever side of the fence you sit on regarding Larkin, he is a top one or two center; that’s part of the equation I’ve laid out, but Yzerman needs to find a top-scoring center to pair with the captain.

At this point, I will settle for any top-tier scorer. It doesn’t need to be a center, although I feel Andrew Copp is best suited as the team’s third-line center moving forward; I’d be elated if Steve Yzerman finds a 30-goal scorer, even if said player is a winger.

As the title suggests, I am not nearly as concerned with the backend as I’ve been in years past, but the organization will need to seek out a second-pairing right-handed defender this summer. The Detroit Red Wings have another significant piece in Moritz Seider anchoring the top pairing.

Jake Walman did a tremendous job this season paired with Seider, but if you are Yzerman, you need to ask yourself, is Walman a true top-two defender, or is he better off anchoring a second pairing down the road? Perhaps Simon Edvinsson will grow into a top defenseman to pair with Seider.

And then we are the final part of my equation—the goaltending. Ville Husso proved this season that he could be Detroit’s top netminder moving forward. Husso isn’t a top-eight goaltender on this current Red Wings team, but with a sounder supporting cast, I believe he can get into that second tier of NHL goaltenders.