The Detroit Red Wings ended another season on the outside looking in during the NHL playoffs. It’s tough to watch other teams compete for the Stanley Cup while talented players like Dylan Larkin, Lucas Raymond, and Moritz Seider get an early start on their summers.
But that’s life in the NHL when teams fail to make the leap to the postseason.
For the Wings, it’s been nearly a decade since the last time they hit the ice after Game 82. So, as the focus now shifts to next season, three brutal changes will have to come this offseason in order to give the Detroit Red Wings a fighting chance to make it back to the postseason.
3 brutal offseason moves Detroit Red Wings must make to get back to NHL playoffs
Move on from Justin Holl and Jeff Petry
The Detroit Red Wings blue line needs a revamp. While Moritz Seider and Ben Chariot are the real deal at this point, the Wings need to avoid anchors potentially weighing them down. By that I mean Justin Holl and Jeff Petry.
At the outset of this past season, Holl wasn’t in the Wings’ plans, with Petry coming in to fill a gap at times. However, their cap hits are far too much for the team to take on next season.
Petry is a UFA this summer. So, it’s best to let Petry explore the market. He can hopefully find an opportunity elsewhere. Otherwise, the Wings may explore bringing him back on a much cheaper deal.
As for Holl, he’s still got one more year on his deal, with $3.4 million next season. He’s got a modified no-trade clause, meaning there’s a limited number of teams the Wings could trade him to.
Moving on from these two blueliners will allow younger players to get a chance to make the team and play a more meaningful role. Plus, the money saved from Holl and Petry’s contract could be utilized to land a solid top-four defenseman for next season
Let Patrick Kane ride off into the sunset
Thus far, there is no indication that Patrick Kane is about to call it quits. The 36-year-old had a resurgent season and has shown interest in returning for at least one more year. While Kane was certainly effective for the Red Wings this season, it’s probably best to let him ride off into the sunset.
The Red Wings could allocate his $4 million cap hit to re-sign RFAs like Elmer Soderblom and Jonatan Berggren. Both Soderblom and Berggren, playing a full season with regular lineup spots, could fuel the move toward a playoff spot next season.
While the Red Wings shouldn’t close the door completely on Kane, it’s probably best to let the future Hall of Famer ride off into the sunset like the superstar that he is.
Trade Peter Mrazek and Cam Talbot
The Red Wings’ goaltending situation was inconsistent for most of the season. Cam Talbot was as good as you could expect from a 37-year-old netminder. However, he wasn’t the number-one goalie that the Red Wings needed to take them to the postseason.
Alex Lyon, similarly, had solid performances throughout the year. At $900k, he’s worth keeping around for next season. But then, there’s Peter Mrazek who rejoined the Wings at the trade deadline.
Mrazek was, well, serviceable. But he isn’t the answer to the Red Wings’ need in goal. The issue here is that there aren’t many goaltending options available in the free-agent market this upcoming offseason. Perhaps a trade could be made for someone like Joonas Korpisalo who manifested his desire to play as a starting goaltender next season.
Beyond that, the Red Wings will need to get creative in finding a way to address the situation in the crease. The Wings cannot hope to be a playoff contender next season without finding a reliable, number-one goalie to carry the team to the playoffs.