We have to be realistic about the Detroit Red Wings next season: they're not going to be particularly good.
The entire Atlantic Division added huge pieces this offseason. From the Florida Panthers acquiring Brady Tkachuk to the Toronto Maple Leafs drafting first overall pick Gavin McKenna, there's no shortage of teams ready to fight for a playoff spot.
That's why the Red Wings need to take a step back and realize where they're at in their rebuild.
It's perfectly fine to punt on this season. In fact, it might even be the most prudent move going forward. This doesn't have to mean a full blown rebuild.
Still, a season or two of the team gathering its bearings might be best moving forward.
One way they can maximize assets while minimizing the pain is by weaponizing the salary cap space they have at their disposal.
How the Red Wings can weaponize their cap space
Per Puckpedia, the Red Wings currently have around $19.5M in cap space. Some of that will go towards extending Simon Edvinsson, but the number could very well jump up if soon-to-be-former captain Dylan Larkin is traded.
Next season, only a handful of players are due for extensions: Alex DeBrincat, Andrew Copp, Justin Faulk, Mason Appleton, Marco Kasper Albert Johansson, John Gibson and Danila Tarasov. Their current salaries, in addition to the space acquired from moving on from a few of these contracts, give the Red Wings more than enough room to work with in terms of extra salary.
If the Red Wings do plan on bottoming out for a little while, why not take on a few egregious contracts to add some assets to the pool?
Teams like the Carolina Hurricanes may want to move on from Jesperi Kotkaniemi's deal, a contract labeled one of the worst in the NHL. Players like Brian Dumoulin or Nils Hoglander could easily be moved to free up space for teams in desperate need of salary cap wiggle room.
But taking on poor contracts isn't the only thing the Red Wings can do with their salary cap space.
Red Wings can play third with salary retention
The Red Wings are no strangers to taking on a small chunk of salary in exchange for picks. They most recently did this two seasons ago, retaining some of Yanni Gourde's salary for the Tampa Bay Lightning in exchange for a fourth round pick. While not the most exciting of tactics, it's something the Red Wings can readily absorb -- especially for short-term gain.
Sometimes, those deals can result in higher rates of return, as well. When the Chicago Blackhawks retained part of Mikko Rantanen's salary, they received a third round pick in exchange. The more salary the Red Wings are willing to absorb, the higher the return can become.
A few seasons back, the Montreal Canadiens took on Sean Monahan's contract for a first round pick. If the Red Wings can take a swing at a low-risk, moderate reward player like Monahan, they're sure to strike gold at some point.
Ultimately, it's up to the next general manager to use all the tools at their disposal, including but not limited to weaponizing the cap.
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