The NHL's free agency window opens July 1, 2026. This time around, it might be the weakest class in years. Top free agents like Alex Tuch and Darren Raddysh have already found their way to new teams and signed long-term deals. Other enticing candidates, like Bobby McMann, have re-signed with their respective clubs.
This leaves the Detroit Red Wings with an extremely shallow pool to choose from.
That said, there are still a few gems hidden in the pool the Red Wings can target to bolster the roster. While not the game-changers some fans may hope to obtain, they can still round out the roster and provide it with some extra depth following the departure of this year's UFAs.
Here are three candidates the Red Wings should strongly consider targeting:
1. Eeli Tolvanen provides low-risk, moderate reward depth
Adding Seattle Kraken forward Eeli Tolvanen to the team's bottom-six provides the Red Wings with two things: even-strength scoring and consistency. The Red Wings sorely lacked both in spades, so having a third line forward like Tolvanen can solve those woes. 77 of Tolvanen's 92 career goals came at 5v5. He's remained a consistent 35-40 point threat throughout the majority of his career and would instantly add some extra oomph to Detroit's roster.
For those worried about roster spots, the Red Wings have plenty of unconventional solutions they can follow to free up some room for the Finnish forward. As of right now, Tolvanen taps out around a two-year, $3.4M/year deal. That's fairly low risk for what could be some decent results down the line.
2. Anthony Mantha could reunite in Detroit
If Patrick Kane doesn't return to the Red WIngs, the team will immediately need another top-six forward to round out the roster. Could Anthony Mantha be the answer? The former first round pick was lights out last season, scoring a career high 33 goals and 64 points with the Pittsburgh Penguins.
That said, consistency and effort have always been an issue for Mantha. In fact, those two reasons are why Yzerman traded him to the Washington Capitals in the first place. There's a chance he's grown since then, but it's hard to risk signing a guy who just celebrated a career high in a contract year. It becomes even riskier when you account for AFP Analytics' projection at 4 years, $6.3M per year.
3. Patrik Laine is a scoring machine
As far as low-risk, high-reward players go, no one stands out from the crowd more than Patrik Laine. Laine spent the majority of last season injured, scoring just one point in five games with the Montreal Canadiens. Having said that, Laine is far from a .2-per-game player.
He's far removed from his career high 70 point season with the Winnipeg Jets back in 2017-18, but he's still more than capable as a forward in his own right. He's got seven 20 goal seasons under his belt and is more than capable of taking on heavy duties on the power play. If the Red Wings need to bolster extra scoring with or without Patrick Kane in the lineup, Laine should provide some assistance on that front.
Best of all, he'll come in cheap. Most projections land him around $850,000 on a one-year deal. If the Red Wings bottom out and Laine resurges, they can trade him for moderate return. If he excels and the Red Wings benefit from it, Laine will have a chance to revitalize his career. Worst case scenario, if Laine fails to excel, the Red Wings won't be on the hook from a salary standpoint and can easily waive him.
Signing Laine is a win-win no matter how you look at it.
Add us as a preferred source on Google