Detroit Red Wings: What does Klim Kostin’s role look like in 2023-24?
By Tyler Kotila
The Detroit Red Wings made a couple of trades around the 2023 NHL Entry Draft that left them with a new forward to throw into the mix. There was some intrigue when the team went out and made a draft day trade with the Edmonton Oilers.
The Detroit Red Wings had acquired Kailer Yamamoto from the Oilers, along with Klim Kostin. Though at the time, Yamamoto was the highlight of the move. For Detroit, it was an excellent addition of offense.
That did not last long as the Red Wings had placed Yamamoto on waivers and opted to buy him out of his contract, opting to keep Kostin. The Red Wings then signed Kostin to a two-year, $4 million contract extension to keep him in Detroit for the next 2023-24 and 2024-25 seasons as things stand.
It was an intriguing move, to say the least. However, there is an expectation that Kostin will play a role with the Red Wings organization moving forward. The 24-year-old forward is known for his physicality, which could prove valuable amongst the Red Wings forward core.
Identifying a role for Detroit Red Wings forward Klim Kostin.
If there’s one thing that the Detroit Red Wings could improve upon in the 2023-24 season, it would be the team’s physicality. Being more of a physical team that will not go out there and be roughed up would be a good thing.
Kostin likely has some bad blood with some of the Red Wings players, as he was in the middle of some scrums during the Red Wings vs. Oilers contests from the 2022-23 season. However, training camp can allow them to work through the bad blood.
The point is that Kostin has a chance to come into Detroit and be a nice spot-filler in the bottom six who can go out and be a force on the ice. He will bring physicality and likely be someone who can cause problems.
After a 2022-23 season where Kostin scored 11 goals and ten assists for 21 total points for the Oilers over 57 games played, there cannot be much faith in Kostin being a major asset. But, if he can produce some offense in bottom-six minutes and find ways to be offensive and physical, the Red Wings will be happy with their investment.
The big thing will be seeing Kostin settle into the bottom-six well. He will bring a physical element to his game that the Red Wings have not shown much. While there were glimpses of it from some players like Michael Rasmussen, seeing how Kostin fits in with this forward core will be interesting.
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But as the team gets into training camp, I’d expect Kostin to join the bottom six, likely the fourth line, looking to bring a physical element to a winger position and tap into some offense as opportunities allow.