It's NHL Free Agency Eve, and after a blockbuster trade on Day 2 of the NHL Draft that brought goaltender John Gibson to the Detroit Red Wings, it's time to speculate what Steve Yzerman could do this week.
While Yzerman's words weren't encouraging this past weekend, maybe he's just doing what I'd do, which would involve throwing a smokescreen. And hey, you should be throwing them every chance you get and keep even the league's most prominent insiders guessing.
Assuming Yzerman's doing just that even if he probably isn't, let's check out one forward, one defenseman, and one goaltender who remain unsigned as of 11:30 Eastern Time here on June 30th. And yes, even a netminder, even if the Gibson trade probably negates the odds of anyone else coming.
Brock Boeser, W/Vancouver Canucks
It's NHL Free Agency Eve and Brock Boeser remains unsigned. To me, it's all but a done deal that he'll test the free agency market, and Steve Yzerman should be interested here, regardless if he gets a deal done with Patrick Kane, who is not signed at the time of this publication.
Kane's probable return means the Red Wings top-six looks strong, but I wouldn't call it spectacular just yet. Add in someone like Boeser, and the Wings could cook. Boeser's been a 25-plus goal scorer over the past two seasons, and he's averaged at least 18:10 of ice time per game in that span.
Boeser's presence would give the Wings legitimate scoring threats all over their top two lines. And he gained a rather physical edge last season, laying 76 body checks. Overall, Boeser's someone who could land in Hockeytown as a prized free agent and take their scoring up another level.
Cody Ceci, D/Dallas Stars
If the Red Wings don't end up re-signing Jeff Petry by the time you read this, and if Cody Ceci doesn't end up sticking around Dallas, the Wings could get a solid stopgap here. If I'm Detroit, I wouldn't mind bringing someone on who helped his team make a deep playoff run the season before, and one who can handle top-four minutes.
Ceci will add an edge to the top-four, even if he's not much of a bruiser, and he'll bring much-needed durability - how many players do you know who played in 85 regular season games last season? Never a flashy or spectacular player, Ceci would just bring positive returns to a franchise that needs more experience on the blue line.
If the Wings went after Ceci, he'd fall into that not nice, but necessary category. Fans may be 'meh' about making such a signing, but they'll see his value if he's in Hockeytown.
Dan Vladar, G/Calgary Flames
With John Gibson in town and Cam Talbot still in the lineup, it's hard to believe the Red Wings would acquire a netminder. But, there's always a chance we see a shocker occur, so I didn't want to neglect goaltender.
Dan Vladar is still young, heading into his age-28 season, and he's coming off a year that saw him log a 2.80 GAA, two shutouts, and an 0.898 save percentage, plus a 0.586 quality starts percentage. Not bad numbers for a guy who struggled the season before.
There's also a chance the Wings could be looking for more organizational depth. And Vladar is a solid No. 2 netminder who could always factor into the AHL and play alongside prospects like Sebastian Cossa.
Overall, I don't see Yzerman bringing in another netminder, unless it's someone few of us have heard of, who would therefore play in Grand Rapids. But I'm always one to speculate.
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