3 former Red Wings who Steve Yzerman should not bring back in 2024-25

Tomas Nosek, F

If you don’t remember Tomas Nosek’s time with the Red Wings, don’t feel too bad. He only played in 17 games for Detroit and scored just one goal and zero assists. Nosek showed off his ability as a defensive forward during that time, with 16 hits and eight takeaways, but he didn’t see the ice often, logging just 10:08 of average playing time. 

Nosek then went to Vegas, where he played on the lower lines for those surprising early Golden Knights teams, and he continued to show off his physical play. His aggressive style continued during a two-year stint with the Boston Bruins, but his defense-first mentality wasn’t as helpful with the New Jersey Devils this past season. 

Nosek also didn’t see the ice as much, playing in just 36 games, while his average total ice time dropped to its lowest since the 2019-20 season. Nosek was still physical, and yes, he still landed close to a half-takeaway per game, but it would be tough to bring back a player like Nosek whose presence didn’t help stop the Devils from allowing an onslaught of goals this past season. 

The Red Wings faced something similar this year, and signing someone like Nosek would feel more like a ‘lateral move’ instead of one that can help fuel a return to the playoffs. If anything, the Wings need a player on the lower lines who has proven they can help change the trajectory of a team’s play, something Nosek didn’t do. 

To be fair, he spent some time out with injuries, but in the games he did play, his overall impact didn’t factor in as much as the Devils needed.