With an influx of young prospects on the way and the team failing to meet expectations in 24-25, there are likely big moves ahead for the Red Wings’ forward group. Along with free agency and trade acquisitions, there will likely be several players who will not return to the team.
As general manager Steve Yzerman begins making these decisions, let’s play a few rounds of Keep/Trade to predict which 24-25 Red Wings’ forwards will return next season.
Below are groups of three players who are either free agents or failed to meet expectations this year. Our job is to predict who will be kept on the team, and who may be traded.
Andrew Copp, J.T. Compher, Michael Rasmussen
Copp, Compher, and Rasmussen are each forwards on decent-sized contracts that play similar roles on the bottom lines of the Red Wings. It would be shocking to see all three return next year.
Copp and Compher have been criticized more than nearly anyone on Detroit’s roster over the past few seasons. While each has been praised for their leadership in the locker room, neither has lived up to expectations or to their hefty contracts.
Copp signed with the Red Wings before the 22-23 season. He was coming off an impressive year with the Winnipeg Jets and New York Rangers, putting up 21 goals and 53 points. However, he has not come close to that production in any of his three seasons in Detroit. The most points he has had were 42 in 22-23, and the most goals were 13 in 23-24.
This past season was cut short by injury, but Copp still only had 10 goals and 23 points across 56 games. He has two years left on his contract and will make $5.625 million each of those years.
Whereas Copp’s output has declined significantly since joining the Red Wings, Compher has actually stayed constant with his pre-Detroit numbers. During his six seasons with the Colorado Avalanche, Compher hovered around 30-50 points. With the Wings, he had 48 points in 23-24 and 32 in 24-25. He has also remained relatively strong defensively and in the face-off dot, posting a 45% face-off percentage in both of his Detroit seasons.
The criticism around Compher circulates around his contract. He has three years remaining and will make $5.1 million each of those seasons. Although his performance has not dipped, he is not a $5 million player, and fans wish that money were being spent elsewhere.
Rasmussen may play a similar role on the Red Wings, but the opinion around him could not be further from that of Copp or Compher.
Taken ninth overall by Detroit in the 2017 NHL Draft, Rasmussen spent the first few seasons of his career failing to meet expectations and being viewed as a bust. However, he has carved out a role for himself these last few years. He has averaged only around 10 goals and 30 points per season, but his physical presence has been much-needed for a Detroit team that has lacked that for several years. This has endeared him to fans and teammates alike.
Rasmussen has three years left on his contract and will be making $3.2 million each year
When considering his contract and the intangibles he brings, Rasmussen is the easy decision to keep of these three players. He is also younger (26) than Copp (30) and Compher (30), meaning Ras may have more room to grow as he enters his physical prime.
Hopefully, the Wings can trade both players, but if they have to decide between trading and buying out one, Compher makes the most sense to trade and Copp to be bought out.
Though Detroit would likely have to retain some of his contract, Compher’s consistent production and Stanley Cup pedigree with the Avalanche could make him an intriguing trade target for a contending team. Copp has too many concerns with his injuries and poor play, so it is hard to imagine Detroit finding a trade partner for him.
Patrick Kane, Jonatan Berggren, Vladimir Tarasenko
Kane, Berggren, and Tarasenko are an interesting trio because they are all in different phases of their careers. Kane is a first-ballot Hall of Famer who appears to have a little more left in the tank, Tarasenko is a former superstar who now seems thoroughly washed, and Berggren is a young player who has failed to live up to expectations.
Despite these differences, each player is on the Wings to provide offense and there may only be room for one of them on next year’s team.
Beginning with Kane, he has been a positive influence during his two seasons with the Red Wings, and the initial concerns around his hip resurfacing are a distant memory. Although he may not be the MVP he used to be, he still had 21 goals and 59 points in 24-25.
Showtime also continues to be an incredible player on the power play, a strong leader in the locker room, and comes up huge in the clutch with his team-leading six game-winning goals.
The biggest worry around Kane is his age. As evidenced by Alex Ovechkin’s 44 goals in his age-39 season, elite players can play at a high level into their 40s. Still, Kane will be entering his age-37 season, and Detroit's top brass has to be worried about a potential drop-off.
The Wings may be extra careful before giving Kane a long-term deal because of how they were burned by Tarasenko this season.
The four-time All-Star signed with Detroit last offseason for two years and $4.75 million per year. Prior to the 24-25 season, Tarasenko never had less than 50 points in a full season aside from his rookie year in 13-14 where he had 43 points. He was also coming off a 23-24 season where he had 23 goals, 55 points, and helped the Florida Panthers win the Stanley Cup.
Nobody in Detroit expected him to reach 40 goals again, but few could have thought that Tarasenko would be as putrid as he was in 24-25. In 80 games, he had just 11 goals and 33 points. He also often looked lifeless on the ice and would go weeks without making any significant impact.
Finally, with Berggren, he was vocal last offseason about his disappointment with not being given an opportunity with the Red Wings and spending most of the 23-24 season with the Grand Rapids Griffins.
Fans were excited for Berggren to break out when he was finally given a legitimate chance with the Wings in 24-25, but the results were pretty lackluster. He finished with 12 goals and 24 points across 75 games. Whereas Marco Kasper showed tremendous growth throughout the year, Berggren seemingly plateaued and has not shown a whole lot in the NHL aside from occasional flashes.
High-profile prospects like Carter Mazur, Nate Danielson, and Michael Brandsegg-Nygård are also on the way, so there is quickly becoming less and less room in Detroit’s forward group for an underperforming Berggren.
The easiest decision between Kane, Tarasenko, and Berggren is to move on from Tarasenko. It simply did not work in Detroit, and there is little proof that next season will be any different.
With Berggren and Kane, will Yzerman value experience or potential? He should lean more towards the experience and give Kane a three-year extension to take him through his age-39 season.
With the abundance of young forwards in the Wings’ system, the team could use a veteran like Kane more than another young forward like Berggren. The young Swede could eventually pan out, but he could also fetch a decent package on the trade market to help Detroit win now.
Additionally, it is worth noting that Kane seemingly wants to retire a Red Wing, whereas Berggren appears to be growing more frustrated with his lack of opportunity in Detroit.
The experience Kane brings along with his consistent production will be instrumental as the Red Wings bring up more prospects. He wants to be in Detroit, and hopefully, Yzerman will let him continue his tenure here.