3 potential buyout candidates the Red Wings must keep an eye on
Conventionally, we think of free agency and trades to help bolster a team, but the Detroit Red Wings could find a serviceable player following the buyout phase.
The Stanley Cup Final is nearly here, but for the 30 teams that weren’t lucky enough to play hockey deep into June, they’re looking at buyout season which takes place two days following the season finale. For the Detroit Red Wings, it means they could find a hidden player among those whose respective organizations no longer have a place for them.
While nothing has been confirmed yet, let’s check out three players who could easily see their current teams cut ties with them by buying out their contracts, leaving them free to sign elsewhere. I got one forward and a pair of goaltenders who could make sound fits for the Red Wings, even if that hasn’t always been the case regarding their current teams.
Jeff Skinner is a familiar name who could further transform the Wings
Imagine a pair of 30-something wingers in Jeff Skinner and Patrick Kane going to (and staying in) the Motor City and teaming up. Jeff Skinner’s contract may be one of the worst in recent memory to most NHL fans, but he put up sensational numbers in 2021-22 and 2022-23 when he finished the seasons with 63 and 82 points, respectively.
He also scored a combined 68 goals in the process before following it up with a 46-point, 24-goal season in 74 games this past year. It wasn’t as impressive, but Skinner also fought through injuries, so he deserves some slack.
The downside is that Skinner doesn’t provide much defense, and it’s something the Red Wings need to think about while adding a forward for the upcoming season. He will land a lot of takeaways, however, so his defensive play isn’t completely nonexistent, but that’s about as good as it gets for Skinner.
Still, the thought of him teaming up with Kane (this is assuming Kane re-signs) would give the Red Wings a pair of older but still viable NHL players. And this isn’t even mentioning the plethora of talent Detroit already has at forward.
If the Sabres bought out Skinner’s contract and if he ended up in the Motor City, this isn’t something to scoff at. Many in the NHL universe may see Skinner as one of the NHL’s bigger disappointments over the last few seasons, but if you pay attention to what he’s done in Buffalo since those first two rough years after he signed that extension, you’ll know he’s a better fit than many would think.
John Gibson would make a sensible signing and upgrade at goaltender
If there’s one underrated goaltender who I haven’t spoken much about, it’s John Gibson, and he’s a player who could immediately turn his career around if he lands with the right team. While, thanks to its play defensively this past season, Detroit may not be the ideal place for a goaltender to resurrect their respective careers, almost anywhere is better than Anaheim at the moment.
No, Gibson’s previous five seasons have not been up to par, with just 74 wins, 129 losses, and 33 overtime losses from 2019-20 and onward. He’s also struggled with a 0.900 save percentage, a 3.36 GAA, six shutouts, and a sub-0.500 quality starts percentage. But Anaheim has also been one of the NHL’s worst teams in each of those five seasons, to the point their scoring units ranked no better than 22nd, and you can say something similar for the team defensively.
Sure, you would want someone like Gibson to help bail his team out of trouble, especially for a player with his talent. But Anaheim has played so poorly, even Connor Hellebuyck probably wouldn’t step in there and save the situation if he were in the net over those same five seasons.
Gibson barely played better than expected if we’re looking at xGA at even strength vs.aGA, but still, it’s hard to accurately gauge a sample size with a team like the Anaheim Ducks. So if Anaheim bought out Gibson’s contract and if the number of options for the Red Wings dwindled to the point that snagging him would make sense, general manager Steve Yzerman shouldn’t hesitate to make the move.
If not John Gibson, maybe Jack Campbell could resurrect his career
Yeah, Jack Campbell probably isn’t going back to Edmonton, and if there is any player on this list whose impending buyout is all but a done deal, it’s Campbell’s. We’re looking at a goaltender who spent just five contests with the Oilers before going on waivers, and he finished with an 0.873 save percentage, a 4.50 GAA, and a pair of ‘really bad starts.’
The plan was rather simple in Edmonton - Stuart Skinner and Jack Campbell would make a dynamic duo en route to the Stanley Cup Final. Edmonton may have punched a ticket into the Final, but it came with Skinner and Calvin Pickard playing netminder while Campbell toiled in the AHL.
With an AAV of $5 million, there’s no way the Oilers are paying Campbell to just sit around as a potential fringe NHLer with Skinner and the immense likelihood they hang onto Pickard, who is an unrestricted free agent.
Now, the average fan may look at Campbell’s most recent numbers and cringe, because his time in Edmonton has been anything but smooth. Yeah, the 22-13-4 record looks good, but an 0.886 save percentage, a 3.53 GAA, a 0.333 quality starts percentage, one shutout, and 10 ‘really bad starts’ is enough for fans of any team to lobby for their respective front offices to steer clear of Campbell.
But let’s do ourselves a favor and check out Campbell’s statistics before he went to Edmonton: 71 wins in 135 games played, 0.916 save percentage, 2.53 GAA, nine shutouts, and a 0.560 quality starts percentage. No, he was never a No. 1 goaltender and had just one season as a 1A during the 2021-22 campaign with the Toronto Maple Leafs, but Campbell has shown he can be incredible in a timeshare. Maybe Edmonton was just a bad fit for him?
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(Statistics powered by Hockey-Reference)