The Detroit Red Wings head into the 2025-26 season looking to make strides in their rebuild. The so-called Yzerplan hasn’t quite borne fruit despite more than half a decade of trying.
The Wings have tried hard to build a contending team through responsible drafting and player development. That approach has yielded some interesting talent in recent years. The biggest home run was Lucas Raymond in 2020.
But Raymond’s not the only one. Other players like Simon Edvinsson, Marco Kasper, Moritz Seider, and Elmer Soderblom are all examples of players beginning to pay off for Detroit. With even more in the pipeline, Red Wings fans have plenty to be optimistic about.
However, one of the question marks has been Detroit’s apparent inability to attract talent via free agency. This summer, the Wings failed to land any major free agents. For instance, Nikolaj Ehlers was on the Red Wings’ radar, but didn’t give them much of a chance.
There’s also Mitch Marner. The Wings were reportedly ready to lure the former division rival with a hefty payday. However, Marner wouldn’t even give Detroit the time of day.
That situation has caused fans to wonder why the Red Wings, once one of the hottest free agent destinations in the game, no longer attract top players.
In an August 14 mailbag, The Athletic’s James Mirtle delved into this topic. He wrote:
“The biggest thing working against the Red Wings, and the reason they’re having to overpay lower-tier talent to add free agents, is that they just haven’t been competitive enough.”
In other words, the Red Wings don’t seem like an appealing free-agent destination at the moment since they’re not in a position to win games. Given how many free agents, especially veterans, want to win, a rebuilding club like the Red Wings isn’t going to be a sexy option.
Red Wings overpaid to lure free agents this summer
The crux of Mirtle’s point is that, given the Red Wings’ relatively poor performance in the standings, they have to overpay to lure free agents to town.
This summer, the club signed two new players, veteran James van Riemsdyk and Mason Appleton.
Van Riemsdyk isn’t quite the hot acquisition that he was 10 years ago. He’s 36 and coming off somewhat of a productive season with the Columbus Blue Jackets. He scored 16 goals in 71 games for Columbus.
The Wings inked him to a one-year, $1 million deal. Now, fans might not necessarily look at that as an overpay, but it is. Van Riemsdyk wouldn’t get more than a PTO from a contending club. So, only a rebuilding club like Detroit would take a chance on offering him a full-time NHL contract. Not only that, he's slated to play on the top line. Would van Riemsdyk get a shot at playing on Dallas or Colorado's top line? Not likely.
Then, there’s Appleton. The 29-year-old got a two-year, $5.8 million deal. The contract was a raise from his previous three-year, $6.5 million contract with the Winnipeg Jets. Appleton scored 10 goals in 71 games this past season. That was down from his career-high of 14 in 2023-24.
Appleton had fallen off the radar in Winnipeg and was allowed to go. On a contender, Appleton would have had trouble cracking the lineup. But in Detroit, he gets a raise and a roster spot in their middle six.
These examples highlight how the Red Wings have to overpay to lure free agents. However, GM Steve Yzerman has been cautious to avoid past mistakes such as Andrew Copp and J.T. Compher.
Ultimately, the Red Wings will continue to overpay, even if they’re cautious, until the club turns the corner and becomes a true playoff contender.