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

The Detroit Red Wings are in that precarious situation where they haven’t been an undisputed playoff contender, but sneaking in as a wild card was realistic.

Detroit Red Wings v Florida Panthers
Detroit Red Wings v Florida Panthers | Bruce Bennett/GettyImages
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Kaapo Kahkonen would fare well with a team like Detroit

The New Jersey Devils don’t have a great blue line, but we can judge Kaapo Kahkonen so much better in Newark than we could during the bulk of the season he spent in San Jose. So far, in what should be a short stint with the Devils, Kahkonen has just a 1-3-0 record in five games, but he also has a solid 2.92 GAA and a 0.918 save percentage. 

Kahkonen has the advantage of knowing that Detroit, should Yzerman for any reason not upgrade the blue line or the crease other than in a scenario where the general manager signs the 27-year-old, will be similar to what he has seen in Newark. As you know, the Devils have faced issues with their blue line and crease all season, but it hasn’t stopped Kahkonen and Jake Allen to provide that much-needed stability. 

The only major downside with Kahkonen is that he wouldn’t figure to be a 1A, so ideally, he would be part of an equally split rotation, perhaps with either Alex Lyon or Ville Husso. That said, he would also be an upgrade over what Detroit already has. 

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