Detroit Red Wings: 5 free agent forwards to target this off-season

The Detroit Red Wings have a long summer ahead of them. They have a ton to look forward to and many things to get done before the team hits the ice next fall. Between the draft and then free agency, the Red Wings will have a chance to make some improvements.

If there’s one thing that the Detroit Red Wings faithful should know, it’s that roster shakeup will not scare Steve Yzerman. Yzerman will do whatever he needs to get the team in tip-top shape heading into the fall.

After being a somewhat competitor, keeping the Red Wings in the postseason race this season, it will be exciting to see what Yzerman can cook up this off-season. When it comes to free agency, there are some places where the Red Wings hope to improve.

The free agent market is admittedly thin. There are some names at the top that make it a top-heavy class or, at least, one that the bottom falls out of relatively quickly. But that does not mean that teams will not go out and look for talent to fill some needs within the forward core.

The Red Wings have some areas to improve and some depth players to target. They can go into this free-agent class and find themselves a player or two to help their efforts as they get back to the postseason. Let’s dive into some of these players who might fill the role the Red Wings may be looking to fill.

Here are five forwards for the Detroit Red Wings to target.

The Detroit Red Wings should consider signing James van Riemsdyk.

Listen, signing a 34-year-old forward never sounds the most appealing, but the Detroit Red Wings were reportedly looking to acquire James van Riemsdyk on the trade deadline day in 2022-23. The exact details of the deal never emerged, and it may have been a situation where the Red Wings ate his contract to allow the deal to go through.

However, it may not be the worst thing in the world for the Red Wings to consider going out to grab James van Riemsdyk this off-season. In 2022-23, van Riemsdyk played in 61 games, where he scored 12 goals and had 17 assists for 29 total points.

He was down on the year from where he has been in the past, but adding a veteran forward similar to David Perron last year, hoping to spark a resurgence and allow him to anchor a bottom-six role with the Red Wings.

He may not be the most desirable option out there. But the Red Wings should really consider adding him to their bottom six at the right price.

Another veteran for the Detroit Red Wings to consider: Jason Zucker

Jason Zucker is a 31-year-old forward who had a great season in 2022-23. He was a consistent performer with the Minnesota Wild but took a step back during his time with the Pittsburgh Penguins, never really getting back up to speed until this year at least.

Zucker stayed healthy this year and played in 78 games, where he scored 27 goals, added 21 points, and totaled 48 points. He’s one of those players who can play the game on both ends of the ice but excels offensively.

When firing on all cylinders, he’s someone who benefits alongside stars—being able to slot him in alongside Dylan Larkin or even on the other wing from Lucas Raymond. The Red Wings should certainly consider targeting Jason Zucker.

Detroit Red Wings need to grab Erik Haula for cheap.

The Detroit Red Wings need to go out and grab Erik Haula on a budget, knowing he will be more productive and well-rounded than Pius Suter. It’s an upgrade that could be made easily. I’ll be the first to admit I’ve been banging the table, hoping the Red Wings would listen and sign Haula in each of the last few seasons.

The 32-year-old forward has been an asset and a producer on each of the last three teams that he has played on. Especially being on teams that can play solid defense and excel in that part of their game. Haula will play well on both sides of the ice and be a problem for opposing teams.

The Red Wings will not have to pay much for the veteran forward. They need to avoid missing out this summer and go grab Haula. He’s fresh off of an 80-game campaign with the New Jersey Devils, scoring 14 goals and adding 27 assists for 41 total points.

Detroit Red Wings should sign Gustav Nyquist; who says no?

The Detroit Red Wings should reunite themselves with a former player who was incredibly serviceable during his time in Hockeytown. Gustav Nyquist was a fan-favorite and someone that the Red Wings should be thrilled about possibly getting back in a winged-wheel uniform.

For the Red Wings, Nyquist has not been with the team since the 2018-19 season. But the Red Wings should be looking to bring him home. Nyquist played in 51 games for the Columbus Blue Jackets and Minnesota Wild this season, where he scored 11 goals and had 16 assists for 27 total points.

He may be 34 nowadays but could still slot into the bottom six and provide a boost on a short-term contract. He’s another veteran amongst the ones we have mentioned who would provide a tinge of offense and allow for some depth to help fill out the Red Wings’ lineup night in and night out. It’s worth at least considering a reunion with their former forward.