The Detroit Red Wings recently cleaned out their lockers at Little Caesars Arena following yet another disappointing end to what felt like an optimistic season before an additional March collapse. Yes, if you are keeping score at home, that's three straight March collapses for the Red Wings.
It's been more of the same under Steve Yzerman, who is preparing to enter his seventh season as Detroit's general manager. You can easily look back and question plenty of Yzerman's roster decisions over the years, highlighted by his inability to add impactful players in free agency. He often vastly overpays for middle-of-the-road and, in many cases, below-average contributors.
After failing to qualify for the postseason for the ninth consecutive season, Yzerman and the Detroit Red Wings need to focus on improving at the professional level. Under Yzerman, the organization has done a tremendous job adding an influx of youth through the draft, particularly in the first round. Yzerman needs to focus on marrying those up-and-coming prospects with impactful NHL veterans.
Detroit Red Wings captain Dylan Larkin, 28, hasn't tasted the playoffs since he and the organization saw a first-round exit when he was a rookie. Larkin, a ten-year vet, is coming off a third consecutive 30-goal season and remains Detroit's top all-around player. I'd argue that is Yzerman's most significant issue since he's taken over as the Red Wings' general manager.
This is not a knock on Larkin; he's a fine player, but he's not regarded as a top-25 player in the league; many don't consider him a top-50 player. Again, he's a very good, impactful NHL player, but if the Detroit Red Wings hope to get over the hump and become a Stanley Cup contender, Larkin needs to be Detroit's second-line center. Or, Yzerman needs to find a player he considers an equal talent to the Red Wings' captain.
Finding a top-flight center isn't easy, but that's where a general manager needs to be creative, even if that means trading a top prospect or two for a proven player in their mid-20s. The first player that comes to mind who fits this criteria is Elias Pettersson in Vancouver. The Canucks have underachieved and Pettersson has voiced his displeasure with the organization in the past. Pettersson is coming off a so-so season, which is unlike him, and perhaps a change of scenery would do him a world of good. Plus, you know how much the Red Wings organization covets their Swedish players and they have the prospects in the system to make a deal work.
The summer of 2025 is shaping up to be a vital one for the Detroit Red Wings.
Can Yzerman lure a top free agent such as Mitch Marner to Detroit if he hits the open market? Although Marner isn't a center, he'd fit nicely in Detroit's top-three. That is a big if; the Toronto Maple Leafs may lock up their star winger before he can test the free agent market. There will be other suitors for Marner's services. Look for the ever-ultra-aggressive Vegas Golden Knights to make a push, along with the Los Angeles Kings.
Marner is the current Leaf that is mostly talked about, but there are a couple of others who are going to be free agents this summer that Yzerman and the Red Wings need to consider adding. John Tavares was once the big fish on the open market and elected to return home to Toronto following a stellar career with the New York Islanders. At the time, Detroit appeared seriously interested in his services. If Tavares becomes available, he'd be someone Yzerman needs to consider on a short-term deal. Tavares, 34, is coming off a 38-goal, 74-point season. He'd be a reliable short-term answer to Detroit's lack of impactful center play at the NHL level. Tavares would also buy the organization time to continue to develop the likes of Marco Kasper, Nate Danielson, among others, and when I say develop, I don't necessarily mean in the minors, but he'd help take some pressure off of those young players while they find their way at the NHL level.
The other current Leaf forward to keep tabs on is restricted free agent Matthew Knies. Knies, 22, is exactly the type of forward the Detroit Red Wings are missing. The young power forward is coming into his own after posting a 29-goal, 58-point season for Toronto last year. Teams are very reluctant to submit offer sheets to other teams' restricted free agents, but it does occur from time to time. One of the more recent circumstances is Carolina signing Jesperi Kotkaniemi away from the Montreal Canadiens. Oddly, it was also Carolina who submitted an offer sheet to Sergei Fedorov back in the day at the start of the 1997-98 season.
The Red Wings were forced to match the $38 million contract, ending his near season-long holdout in late February. With the Maple Leafs expected to have around $25 million in cap space entering the off-season, with Tavares, Marner, and Knies headlining their free agent pool, Detroit would be wise to swoop in and see what chaos they can create for their division foe. If Toronto signs Marner to a market value deal and hopes to bring back Tavares, making an offer of, say, $7 million annually to a player of Knies' caliber, fully expecting him to continue his development, might price Toronto out. It's something Yzerman needs to consider and would finally make for a positive off-season for the Red Wings; something they haven't had in quite some time regarding available free agents, anyway.