One pending unrestricted free agent the Red Wings can snag from each team in the Central Division

Kasperi Kapanen, W/St. Louis Blues

If Tyler Toffoli and Tyler Johnson go elsewhere, Kasperi Kapanen makes for yet another decent complementary scorer, even if he’s a notch under Toffoli and Johnson. Kapanen found the net just six times last year, but the entire St. Louis Blues team took a step back in scoring, so it’s nothing to be too concerned about. 

Kapanen has played well offensively, and he’s put up as many as 20 goals in a season in the past, which provides great value for someone who would be a lower-liner in the Motor City. Also, like Toffoli and Johnson, Kapanen plays a strong defensive game. And the more retrievals he could get for the Red Wings, that too will create plenty of scoring opportunities. 

Kevin Lankinen, G/Nashville Predators

Ideally, we will see Steve Yzerman make a big trade and land a netminder who will reassure fans of better play in the blue paint. If such a situation were to occur, the Red Wings wouldn’t sign someone like a backup or a 1B in Kevin Lankinen. But if no trade materialized, he wouldn’t be a bad pickup. 

From 2022-23 to the present, Lankinen played in just 43 games, but he also won 20 of them, posting a shutout, a 0.912 save percentage, and a solid 2.79 GAA. No, he shouldn’t play in over 30 games a year, but if the Red Wings trusted Alex Lyon with 1A duties and 45-50 starts, Lankinen could fare well in Michigan.