Timing, as they say, is everything.
Next season, the Detroit Red Wings will have Justin Abdelkader's contract off the books. They'll have over $30 million in salary cap space to do as they please. There's never been a better time for the team to make a big swing. Best of all, they've got a bevy of options at their disposal.
Trades, free agency and call-ups from the AHL are just a handful of moves Red Wings general manager Steve Yzerman can take to improve the team. But one often overlooked option can make all the difference in the world for a roster: offer sheets.
Over the last five seasons, only three players have signed offer sheets: Jesperi Kotkaniemi (acquired by the Carolina Hurricanes from the Montreal Canadiens), Phillip Broberg (acquired by the St. Louis Blues from the Edmonton Oilers) and Dylan Holloway (acquired by the Blues from the Oilers). It's not a very common tactic as doing so can cause a rift between two front offices. Having said that, it's a legal strategy in the NHL and should be utilized to benefit rosteres in need of upgrades.
This season's crop of restricted free agents carries everything. The market's full of wingers in need of big extensions like Jason Robertson, centers on cap-strapped teams like Pavel Dorofeyev and even a few low-risk, high-reward deals.
One name in particular should be the top of Detroit's offer sheet to-do list: Chicago Blackhawks center Connor Bedard.
Why the Red Wings should offer sheet Connor Bedard
The question practically answers itself. Connor Bedard, former first overall pick of the Chicago Blackhawks, has one of the best shots in the NHL. He's wickedly fast, deceptively smart and has a vision on par with players like Macklin Celebrini. Best of all, he's young and has nowhere to go but up from here.
This season, the 20-year-old posted 30 goals and 45 assists for 75 points in 69 games with the Blackhawks. He managed all this on an extremely underwhelming Blackhawks lineup with an atrocious -62 goal differential. To say he'd be an upgrade to any roster is an understatement.
Bedard would enter an ideal situation in Detroit. He'd immediately slot on the team's top line, moving Dylan Larkin down to the 2C role to better round out the lineup. Pairing Bedard with players like Lucas Raymond would bolster both players' numbers, allowing Bedard to finally grasp at his first 100-point campaign in his career. In addition, this allows Larkin to deal with substantially less pressure on the second line, giving him the chance to be the set-up man between Alex DeBrincat and Patrick Kane.
But is any of this possible?
A lot has to go right for the Red Wings to offer sheet Bedard
Offer sheets require three things: salary cap space, compensatory draft picks and the willingness for a player to sign them. The Red Wings have the first two in spades. Bedard will more than likely command a salary in the mid-late teens. According to the NHL's offer sheet table, this would require the Red Wings to give up four first round picks in order to acquire him.
Let's assume the Red Wings swing for the fences and offer Bedard an eight-year, $20M/year contract. Sure, it would eat up a huge chunk of their salary (and cost a handful of draft picks), but it would also give the Red Wings a bona fide top-10 center in the league. Best of all, at 20 years of age, he's still got plenty left in the tank from a potential perspective.
Now, this isn't to say that the Blackhawks won't immediately match whatever the Red Wings put forth. They're one of three teams in the league with the most salary cap space this offseason. Should they remain unable to sign Bedard, they'll at least leave with a bevy of draft picks at their disposal.
If they do sign Bedard, though, they'll be stuck with a hefty contract over the next eight years. The Blackhawks still have to worry about signing players like Anton Frondell, Artym Levshunov and whatever free agents they bring to bolster the lineup.
Either way, the Red Wings win.
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