At the NHL's Olympic break, the Detroit Red Wings looked destined to get back into the postseason for the first time since 2016. They had a 33-19-6 record and were third in the Atlantic Division with 72 points. Unfortunately, they collapsed in a major way during the final stretch of the season, missing the playoffs for the tenth consecutive season.
Since the Olympic break, the Red Wings have struggled mightily and officially extended their playoff drought last weekend with a loss to the New Jersey Devils. Over their last 23 games, the Red Wings have an 8-11-4 record. The struggles of March continued through April. Now, at the end of the season, the Red Wings have lost five of their last six games.
With how badly the Red Wings collapsed this season, it is clear that they need to make some major upgrades to their roster this summer. This current group simply isn't cutting it, and the Red Wings have both the cap space and trading assets to boost their roster. With this in mind, Detroit should be very aggressive during the summer.
When looking at the Red Wings' current roster, one need in particular sticks out from the rest.
The Red Wings must add a top-six center
Andrew Copp had a better season than expected. Despite this, it is clear that the Red Wings need to add a true top-six center to their roster this summer. In an ideal world, Copp is a solid third line center. If the Red Wings hope to be a playoff club next season, they'll need to find his replacement on the second line.
When it comes to this year's pending unrestricted free agents (UFAs), the Red Wings' options are pretty limited. Evgeni Malkin is the best pending UFA center from this year's class, but it is hard to envision the 39-year-old playing for any other NHL team than the Pittsburgh Penguins if he continues his career.
The next best potential UFA option is Columbus Blue Jackets forward Charlie Coyle, who has 20 goals and 58 points in 81 games this season. He's a solid two-way center who provides a bit of everything, but he is also a player who probably fits best as a third-line center on a true playoff team. Additionally, Coyle will be 34 by the start of his next contract extension.
The trade market is where things could get more interesting for Detroit. Players like Robert Thomas (St. Louis Blues), Vincent Trocheck (New York Rangers), Nico Hischier (New Jersey Devils), Elias Pettersson (Vancouver Canucks), Steven Stamkos (Nashville Predators) and Ryan O'Reilly (Predators) are a few intriguing names in the rumor mill who the Red Wings should have on their radar.
Ultimately, the Red Wings should be working hard to make a big upgrade down the middle this summer. It will be intriguing to see how they find a solution from this point on.
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