5 game-changing free agents who would drastically help the Red Wings next season

Jonathan Marchessault could come at a discounted rate

There isn’t much more Steve Yzerman needs to do regarding his forwards, so Jonathan Marchessault would be a bonus if he doesn’t re-sign with the Vegas Golden Knights and winds up in Detroit. 

Marchessault has been a fixture in the franchise’s early history and has been there since the beginning, so there would be an incentive for him to finish his career in Vegas. But if he tests the market, Yzerman must sell the idea for him to at least consider Detroit. 

Sure, he’s an aging player, but Yzerman was right about Patrick Kane, and Marchessault carries nowhere near as much risk as Kane did. There was a chance Kane wouldn’t be anywhere near the same player following a hip resurfacing procedure, but that isn’t the case with Marchessault. 

This isn’t saying the Red Wings should move on without Kane next year - he deserves to return - but Marchessault would also give Detroit more help in the defensive zone. He’s physical and not afraid to do the dirty work in battling for the puck, and Detroit needs more players like that to regain puck possession more often. 

In case you didn’t know, Marchessault also has an eye-popping 41 goals through 78 games, which is outrageous, considering he’s never scored over 30 in a season before this. 

Overall, it’s hard to see Marchessault leaving Vegas, but if, for any reason, general manager Kelly McCrimmon doesn’t re-sign him, Yzerman needs to pick up the phone.