3 ways the Detroit Red Wings have improved in the summer of 2024
The Detroit Red Wings' start to the summer has been odd, but they've quietly found a way to improve overall.
As the dust begins to settle following the NHL Draft and the free agent frenzy, I want to examine three ways the Detroit Red Wings improved, albeit quietly.
It's no surprise that Detroit Red Wings general manager Steve Yzerman took a quiet approach to free agency. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't a bit disappointed with Detroit's technique. I held out hope that the Red Wings would be able to lure a big name to Detroit, whether it was Steven Stamkos, Sam Reinhart, Jake Guentzel, Brandon Montour, or Jonathan Marchessault.
Well, to my displeasure, things didn't shake out that way for Detroit. Stamkos signed a four-year, $32 million deal with the Nashville Predators. Marchessault joined Stamkos in Nashville signing a five-year, $27.5 million deal. Montour signed a seven-year, $50 million deal with the Seattle Kraken. Following a trade to Tampa Bay, Guentzel signed a seven-year extension that averages $9 million annually. Like Patrick Kane, Reinhart never hit the open market, signing an eight-year extension with Florida for $69 million.
Yzerman did make a splash by re-signing Kane to a one-year deal with a base salary of $4 million with $2.5 million in possible bonuses. Kane's bonuses are easily obtainable; he will receive $1.5 million at ten games played (GP), $250k at 60 GP, $500k if the Detroit Red Wings make the playoffs, and an additional $250k for 60 points.
Three ways the Detroit Red Wings improved this summer (so far).
Again, although I am somewhat overwhelmed with Yzerman's summer to date, he's done a few things to improve the Red Wings.
A slight improvement within the top-six forwards.
The first part, and likely the most significant part, is bringing back Patrick Kane. The biggest part is that Kane proved he's fully healthy and healed from that complicated hip resurfacing procedure a year ago. Kane will enjoy a 'regular' off-season routine where he will train and work without nursing a severe injury. He will be a part of the Red Wings from day one of the season rather than joining the team with the season already well underway. With Kane producing at a near point-per-game clip last season, I wouldn't rule out a 90-point year from the future Hall Of Famer in 2024-25.
The second part of this equation is the Detroit Red Wings replacing David Perron with Vladimir Tarasenko. Perron, 36, provided Detroit with veteran leadership and some good offensive production over the past two years, but Tarasenko supplies a higher ceiling at this juncture of his career. Tarasenko, 32, a few years younger, is coming off a reliable 23-goal, 55-point season, which finished by hoisting the Stanley Cup for the second time in his career.
The gifted scoring winger is two years removed from his last 30-goal season, but he's accomplished the feat six times throughout his career and also reached the 40-goal plateau once. Tarasenko figures to slot in on the second-line wing, playing opposite Kane with J.T. Compher between them. With Kane driving the offense on the unit and his elite playmaking ability, don't be surprised to see Tarasenko finish the year compiling somewhere between 25-30 goals, which is a significant increase from Perron's 17 a year ago.
A slight improvement between the pipes.
It feels like there is a move that has yet to be made. The Detroit Red Wings went with Ville Husso, Alex Lyon, and James Reimer in goal a year ago. This summer, Yzerman replaced pending free agent Reimer with veteran netminder Cam Talbot. Talbot, 37, signed a two-year deal for $2.5 million annually. Talbot is coming off a stout 27-20-6 season backed by a 2.50 goals against average (GAA) and a .913 save percentage with the Los Angeles Kings. Over his 11-year career, Talbot boasts a .913 save percentage to go along with a 2.63 goals-against average.
The Detroit Red Wings received elite-level goaltending from Lyon in January and February last season, but the fan-favorite netminder's tank ran dry when the Red Wings needed him most through March and April. Lyon finished the year with a 3.05 GAA and a .904 save percentage. It was a lost season for Husso, who continued to battle injury after injury, going 9-5-2 with a lackluster 3.55 GAA and a .892 save percentage. Reimer was as hot and cold as they come throughout the year, performing above expectations some nights and ducking at shot attempts toward the goal on other occasions. Reimer finished the year with an 11-8-2 record to go with a 3.11 GAA and a .904 save percentage.
If you follow my work, I held what turned out to be false hope that the Red Wings would trade for veteran netminder Jacob Markstrom to pair with Alex Lyon this upcoming season and, then, in a perfect world, Sebastian Cossa the year after. That notion was quickly squashed when the Flames traded Markstrom to the New Jersey Devils early this off-season. I also thought that Yzerman could swing a deal for Linus Ullmark, knowing he and Don Sweeney have made deals in the past, the biggest being the Tyler Bertuzzi deal ahead of the trade deadline a year and a half ago. After Ullmark landed in Ottawa, I thought veteran John Gibson could be rejuvenated on a better team. Well, I was wrong on all three.
It appears as though Yzerman is willing to roll with the combination of Talbot, Husso, and Lyon, barring a trade, which is a slight improvement over the trio from a year ago. Yzerman also added veteran netminder Jack Campbell, who has struggled mightily over the past two seasons. Campbell figures to replace Michael Hutchinson in Grand Rapids and backup Cossa. If things unravel in Detroit, Campbell has plenty of NHL experience and can serve as a short-term solution if injuries mount as they did last season.
A tougher bottom-six to play against.
You can argue that the Detroit Red Wings got weaker as a whole on the backend by losing Shayne Gostisbehere to free agency and oddly trading Jake Walman to San Jose for virtually a bag of pucks. We do have Simon Edvinsson and Albert Johansson to look forward to, I suppose. That said, Yzerman tried to round out the bottom of his group of forwards with more complete players that are tougher to play against, forgoing plenty of scoring upside.
Detroit traded Robby Fabbri and let Daniel Sprong walk in free agency. The two depth-scoring forwards accounted for 18 goals each last season. The pair have been replaced with Tyler Motte and TBD. The TBD is likely Jonatan Berggren and/or Marco Kasper. Berggren doesn't fit the mold of someone who is 'tough to play against,' but he can score 15-20 goals; the Red Wings need to find a way to get the best out of him. Berggren recorded 24 goals last season, with Grand Rapids often appearing like the Griffin's most dangerous scoring threat. The 23-year-old is due to break out, and hopefully, it's in Detroit next season. Kasper has everything you want in a forward. He's a reliable 200-foot player; he has tremendous vision and playmaking ability but sometimes lacks finish. There is also an element of grease to Kasper's game and that's something Detroit needed to add.
Motte, 29, doesn't bring much offensive ability to the table, but he can hang his hat on being a glue guy and a reliable penalty killer. He notched six goals and nine points last season in Tampa Bay. Although he won't generate many scoring opportunities, he won't be a liability in the defensive zone, think Kirk Maltby.
Detroit's bottom six projects as Michael Rasmussen, Andrew Copp, Christian Fischer, Tyler Motte, Joe Veleno, and Jonatan Berggren/Marco Kasper.
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