The Free Press’s Helene St. James complements her regular-season grades with a breakdown of the Red Wings’ roster as she believes will return, leave, and/or may provide possible potential going forward:
F Andreas Athanasiou
Age: 23.
Status: Restricted free agent. He has arbitration rights this summer so there’ll be no holdout like last year. The club has the right to select a one-year or two-year deal.
F Tyler Bertuzzi
Age: 23.
Status: Restricted free agent. Does not have arbitration rights. He used 48 games this season to show he’s a top-six guy, adding grit to the lineup. Look for a two-year deal.
F David Booth
Age: 33.
Status: Unrestricted free agent. Will not be re-signed.
G Jared Coreau
Age: 26.
Status: Unrestricted free agent. May still have a future with Grand Rapids Griffins, but disappointed during his time in Detroit and does not figure as the backup to Howard.
No strong indication on AA, but Chevy should be up no matter what. That should leave no room for Frk in the top 9.
I dont know yet if Bert is a top 6 wing – we’ve seen enough examples of small sample sizes and playing with great playmaking centers making someone look better than they are.
Top 9 wings should/will be:
Nyq, Lil’Bert, Mantha, Chevy, AA, Abby
Um… Hicketts?