3 players the Detroit Red Wings absolutely shouldn't bring back next season
There is a busy off-season ahead for the Detroit Red Wings. Here are three players that shouldn't return next season.
The Detroit Red Wings and general manager Steve Yzerman are poised to have a busy off-season this summer. Detroit has a few important pending free agents to get extended and will suddenly find themselves juggling the salary cap. Yzerman needs to make sure this team, which has been slowly ascending over the past few seasons, doesn't abruptly become stuck in neutral.
The Red Wings ended their season with 91 points. Unfortunately, this was not enough to secure them a spot in the playoffs. Their inability to perform well in March played a significant role in their failure to qualify for the postseason for the eighth consecutive year. Although the team had more overall wins than the Washington Capitals, they still missed the tiebreaker because the Capitals had more regulation victories. The Red Wings have no one to blame but themselves for missing out on the playoffs.
The first order of business for Yzerman is extending restricted free agents Lucas Raymond and Moritz Seider. Both are likely to command in the $8 million per season range. Following that, Yzerman will need to decide whether David Perron and/or Patrick Kane will be returning to the organization next season. Then, it's decisions on Shayne Gostisbehere, Joe Veleno, Christian Fischer, and Daniel Sprong.
It's unlikely all will be returning, especially if Detroit is eager to improve in a few areas this summer via the free-agent market. Here are three players the Detroit Red Wings definitely shouldn't bring back next year.
The Detroit Red Wings should move on from Jeff Petry.
Despite having one year left on his current deal, the Detroit Red Wings need to move on from veteran defenseman Jeff Petry.
The homecoming for the Ann Arbor native didn't go as planned this past season for the son of Detroit Tigers legend Dan Petry. Petry finished the year with three goals and 24 points over 73 games. The veteran defender managed a minus-7 rating while maintaining a Corsi For Percentage of 44.4%, playing just shy of 19 minutes per night. Although he never appeared to be a reliable defender over the course of the year, Petry didn't perform as poorly over the first 2/3 of the season as many made it out to be, but the little good he did during that time was quickly washed away by a god awful March.
Petry played 51 games and scored two goals, earning 18 points, and maintaining a plus-4 rating while playing an average of almost 19 minutes per night before March. In March, Petry played 13 games, earned two assists, and had a minus-14 score while playing for 19 minutes. Although plus/minus is not a preferred stat in 2024, it can still be an indicator of performance if it changes dramatically over a short period of time.
Petry has one year remaining on his current contract, which has an average annual value of $2.3 million. It's not a large cap hit, so Yzerman may be able to move to a club looking to add a third pairing or veteran depth defender.
The Detroit Red Wings might be forced to move on from Daniel Sprong.
Daniel Sprong quickly became an anomaly for the Detroit Red Wings last season. The 27-year-old recorded 18 goals and 43 points, playing predominantly on Detroit's fourth line.
The problem? Sprong quickly proved to be a defensive liability, something far too familiar for many of the Red Wings' wingers. You will find way too many one-dimensional wingers when you scan through Detroit's roster. Alex DeBrincat, Patrick Kane, Robby Fabbri, Joe Veleno, and Sprong all play a relatively light game and struggle in their own zone for the most part. Veleno plays on the wing or center, and he's the group's best two-way player, but he quickly found himself in head coach Derek Lalonde's dog house late last season.
I love the offensive production Sprong brings to the lineup, and his ability to contribute while playing fourth-line minutes makes him a very unique player. Sprong averaged 12 minutes per game even last season and maintained a Corsi For Percentage of 46.4. His Relative Corsi For Percentage during even strength situations came in at -0.3, which ranks the fourth-worst of his eight-year career.
Most of us would welcome Sprong back with open arms if he's willing to return on a short-term deal for the $2 million or perhaps a slight raise next season. If Sprong and his representation are hoping to double his salary after back-to-back productive seasons, he's someone the Detroit Red Wings simply need to walk away from. Detroit can look to replace his offense with someone within, like Marco Kasper or Jonatan Berggren, or test the free-agent market. If Yzerman elects to go the free-agent route, I hope he lands a fourth-line grinder type that can change the game's momentum with some physical play.
The Detroit Red Wings need to trade or buyout Justin Holl
The whole Justin Holl situation becomes a bit complicated for the Detroit Red Wings. General manager Steve Yzerman signed Holl last summer to a three-year deal that averages $3.4 million annually. In comparison, it's the same deal Yzerman signed with Jake Walman, too. Still, the veteran defenseman found himself watching from the press box for most of the second half of the season as a healthy scratch.
Holl, 32, was added last summer for his size, experience, and, perhaps most importantly, his right-handed shot. It's kind of ironic; years ago, when I was a kid, it seemed everyone was a right-handed shot; now, right-handers are at a premium across the league, and it seems as though the overwhelming majority of players are now left-handed shots.
Holl played 38 games last year recording five assists while maintaining a plus-8 rating over about 15 minutes of work per night on average. The veteran defender played 13 games from January until the end of the regular season recording one assist and averaged just a hair over 14 minutes per night and was a plus-3. He was utilized on Detroit's third pairing alongside steady Eddie, Olli Maatta.
Derek Lalonde seemed to trust Jeff Petry over Holl down the stretch. Petry plays a lot more physically, yet his glaring mistakes, particularly in March, were cringe-worthy, and his coach continued to roll him out there on Detroit's second pairing. I can't imagine a world where Holl and Petry return to the Red Wings next season. Detroit's on the hook for just $2.3 million next season for Petry and two more years of Holl. Suppose Detroit feels as though both players are of similar skill sets. In that case, moving the more expensive player with more term remaining makes the most sense, as Yzerman will need every penny he can find this summer as the organization closes in on the salary cap.
As the year grew old, with how badly Petry performed in March, I wondered if there had been a disconnect between Yzerman and Lalonde over Petry's usage and the lack thereof when it came to Holl. Nothing was said, just the fact that Yzerman signed Holl to the deal he did, only to see him become less than a part-time player. Strange.
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