The Detroit Red Wings entered this past offseason looking for veteran help to complement their solid young, emerging core.
But there was a catch. GM Steve Yzerman’s plan was to avoid costly free-agent contracts in order to preserve cap space for future deals that made sense. The only truly major offseason splash was trading for goaltender John Gibson.
Gibson, nevertheless, fit Yzerman’s plan. The 32-year-old netminder has one more year left on his contract at $6.4 million. That’s perfectly fine as it’s hardly a long-term commitment at this point.
Without any real game-changing free agents this past summer, Yzerman set out to find reliable veterans who could solidify the team’s forward group. Those veterans came in the way of Mason Appleton and James van Riemsdyk.
Both forwards came in and delivered exactly what the Red Wings hoped they would.
Let’s start with Appleton. The 29-year-old has never been a top-scoring winger. His best offensive season came in 2023-24 with the Winnipeg Jets. That season, he scored 14 goals and 36 points. Last season, his numbers dipped somewhat, given the deep Jets lineup.
He moved on to the Red Wings this summer and has thrived in a bottom-six role. He has lit up the scoresheet, but has been about as reliable as they come. That situation prompted Harman Dayal of The Athletic to write the following on Appleton:
“Appleton has come as advertised as a hard-working, defensively reliable third-liner with limited offensive upside (11 points in 34 games).”
That’s precisely what the young, turbocharged Red Wings lineup has needed. Someone who can play the role of a responsible adult and handle some of the less glamorous duties. Nevertheless, Appleton filled in on the top line earlier this season amid injuries.
That situation has proven that the Red Wings got a solid fit for a relatively low cap hit of $2.9 million.
Van Riemsdyk has not disappointed for Red Wings
James van Riemsdyk has become a bit of a journeyman over the last few seasons. The Red Wings marked his fourth team over the last four seasons. Once a premier goal-scorer, van Riemsdyk is now a depth piece.
His landing in Detroit this offseason was a low-risk, high-reward move by Yzerman. Given the returns so far, that’s exactly how the deal panned out.
First of all, van Riemsdyk has managed to stay healthy. That’s no easy task for a 36-year-old veteran of over 1,100 NHL games. He’s also been up and down the Red Wings lineup, but has predominantly found a home in the team’s bottom six, delivering crucial depth scoring.
Dayal wrote the following:
“van Riemsdyk has been a bargain $1 million pick-up for the bottom six — he’s fourth on the Red Wings with 11 goals in 35 games.”
That’s not bad at all.
Alex DeBrincat and Dylan Larkin are currently tied for the team lead in goals with 23. Lucas Raymond clocks in second with 14. Then, it’s the veteran van Riemsdyk with 11. That’s fantastic total for a player on a one-year, $1 million base salary contract.
Given the NHL’s current market dynamics, it’s virtually impossible to find a player who can deliver double-digit goal totals on a $1 million cap hit. That’s why it wouldn’t be a stretch to see the Red Wings and van Riemsdyk extend their relationship beyond this season.
The challenge moving forward, however, will be for Yzerman to find more players like Appleton and van Riemsdyk to complement the teams emerging core.