David Pagnotta offers Red Wings way out of current mess

To say that the Detroit Red Wings are in a pickle is an understatement. The club is facing a complex situation in just about every aspect of the organization.

In fact, the boos Dylan Larkin received on Friday night were just the tip of the iceberg.

Despite the seemingly dire situation, there could be a way out. At least that’s what insider David Pagnotta thinks.

In a recent appearance on Daily Faceoff, the notable insider offered a way out for the Red Wings to turn things around, especially if they go south early this season. In fact, Pagnotta questioned the possibility of another rebuild.

“What is the direction of this team? Do we have to bite the bullet and go through this little rebuild process again?”

That said, the comment has a practical approach to it.

“There’s an opportunity for this team to retool on the fly, so to speak. Sell off a lot of these pieces. Get some good young assets, get some draft picks, and then look at the summer, close to the deadline or whatever, package some of those pieces up, get in some younger guys, NHL-proven guys into the fold for next season, and go bonkers in free agency to find the right mix.”

The idea sounds good on paper. But Pagnotta warned of one issue that could make this entire equation difficult.

Red Wings may find it difficult to attract players to the organization

One of the other interesting points that Pagnotta made was the fact that, even if the Red Wings wanted to go “bonkers” in free agency, attracting players may not be so easy.

And that’s a very compelling point.

The fact that the Red Wings might be willing to throw money at people doesn’t mean that they’ll actually take it.

Plus, it’s worth looking into who might be available next season in free agency. There are a handful of interesting names, with Quinn Hughes being the most attractive of all.

But would Hughes sign in Detroit if he had the chance?

It doesn’t seem likely, given the state of the team. In fact, it seems more likely that the organization would see a temporary teardown before rebuilding much of the supporting cast around young players.

Of course, that all depends on the current core of young stars like Moritz Seider and Lucas Raymond truly carry the club. But based on what we saw on Friday night against the New York Rangers, it looks like it’s going to be a long season.

Ultimately, the Red Wings will have to show some semblance of direction. That’s the most important thing they could sell to would-be free agents as they look to bring in high-end names to retool the roster yet again.

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