If the Detroit Red Wings hope to take the next step in what seems like a never-ending rebuild, Steve Yzerman needs to upgrade the backend.
As I've mentioned recently, it's been a very peculiar off-season thus far for Yzerman and the Red Wings. Detroit has accomplished some positive things, such as re-signing star forward Patrick Kane to a one-year deal. It was reported that Kane sought a three-year deal on the open market so he and his young family would have some security through the final stretch of his career. Last season, Kane proved that he could remain healthy for the duration of a rigorous NHL season following the complex hip resurfacing surgery last summer.
Kane was as advertised for the Red Wings, scoring at a near-point-per-game clip and looking as dangerous as ever in the offensive zone. Sure, the Red Wings will trade some wall strength, losing a few board battles and some defensive zone incompetence with Kane. However, as always throughout his career, his offensive know-how outweighs his lack of defensive capabilities. It's when a team has too many players that are not strong in their own zone, on the forecheck, or able to win board battles that you've got a problem. Yzerman tried to address this with the addition-by-subtraction method by moving out Robby Fabbri and allowing Daniel Sprong to walk in free agency. Also, replacing a player like David Perron with Vladimir Tarasenko could prove to be a sneaky good upgrade among Detroit's top six. Perron, 36, was beginning to show a pronounced decline offensively, and we all know his defensive capabilities or lack thereof. Tarasenko, 32, is four years younger and still has 30 goal potential. The vacant roster spots left by Fabbri and Sprong will likely be filled by a combination of Jonatan Berggren, Marco Kasper, and Tyler Motte.
Yzerman hasn't upgraded the backend enough to make a significant impact from last season heading into 2024-25.
It's noteworthy that both restricted free agent cornerstones Lucas Raymond and Moritz Seider have yet to be extended. I believe both will be signed ahead of camp.
Seider is and will remain the stalwart on Detroit's backend. The franchise-caliber defender, I expect to be paired with veteran Ben Chiarot next season. I am sure this will come with plenty of criticism, but I don't believe there will be much drop-off from last season from the top-pairing. Chiarot performed well with Seider over the last month-plus to close out the season. I am aware of how much the fanbase values Chiarot (not much), but he's better than most will give him credit. Chiarot had an awful first season with Detroit but rebounded nicely last season, and it will only take one big hit in the postseason to change a lot of your opinion of him. That said, he's best suited as a second or third-pairing player, but as of now, he needs to shoulder top-pairing minutes. Walman did a lot of good things for the Red Wings, but he was anything but flawless. Walman was often outmuscled in the defensive zone corners; he lacked effort at times and appeared disengaged far too much. I always had my doubts about Walman being a top-pairing defender, and likewise with Chiarot.
Walman was a shot-blocking machine, and his game had a ton of offensive upside. I am not so certain we've seen the best of his goal-scoring abilities yet. He sure seems like a 20-goal defenseman if given the opportunity, particularly working the point on the top power play on a regular basis. I was expecting Walman to have a chance to replace Shayne Gostisbehere on Detroit's power play this upcoming season, but that notion was quickly squashed when Yzerman sent him packing for a bag of pucks to San Jose in what still remains a move from left field from the Red Wings.
The obvious replacement for Walman is Simon Edvinsson. The towering young defender is poised to make his presence felt at the NHL level as a regular from day one this upcoming season. Edvinsson looked calm, cool, and collected, playing daily with the Red Wings down the stretch to the end of last season. There is so much untapped potential with the former sixth overall pick of the Red Wings, and the 21-year-old might already be head coach Derek Lalonde's second-best defense option. Edvinsson looked very comfortable playing with Jeff Petry last year, and I expect to begin the year with the two of them as Detroit's second pairing. Part of this is strategic; by splitting Seider and Edvinsson up, Lalonde can guarantee that one of them will be on the ice for roughly 45-50 minutes any given night.
The third pairing remains a bit of a mystery, which only proves that Yzerman hasn't really upgraded things on the backend this summer. I expect to see Olli Maatta and Albert Johansson split time with Erik Gustafsson, who was signed to replace Gostisbehere, on the third pairing, with Justin Holl mixed in every now and then. The Red Wings struggled as a whole on the back end last season, and some of that has been attributed to too many of their forwards being one-dimensional, but to be blunt, they lack depth talent from defenders three through eight. I ask, do you see this as a significant upgrade? Everything as a whole seems more of a lateral move to me. I understand that things with Jacob Trouba may not have worked out as planned unless there was more smoke than fire regarding those trade rumors. If the Red Wings hope to take a step forward, they need to find a more impactful defenseman to add to this roster; if not, expect more of the same in 2024-25.
In closing, I also want to group the goaltending situation in with the 'backend.' Yzerman replaced James Reimer with veteran Cam Talbot. Talbot, 37, signed a two-year deal and is expected to begin the year as the lead option in goal. The transaction is a clear upgrade to last season, but I am slightly reserved with my overall expectations. Talbot joined the Red Wings from Los Angeles, where the Kings performed as one of the top defensive clubs last season. The Kings limited the slot chances and overall scoring chances. On the other hand, the Red Wings struggled mightily at times, restricting chances, so I'd be leary to automatically pencil in a 2.50 goals-against average and a .913 save percentage for Talbot. Again, a fine placeholder for the Red Wings to pair with Alex Lyon and perhaps Ville Husso if they elect to roll with three netminders again while they wait for top prospect Sebastian Cossa to make the jump. Although Talbot is an affordable upgrade to Reimer, and perhaps Lyon, the Red Wings could have gone out and made a bigger splash by acquiring Jacob Markstrom or someone like John Gibson, especially after clearing the cap space they did, but settled shopping at the dollar store one more time. I hope it doesn't come back to bite them.