The Athletic’s Max Bultman posted this a couple of hours ago, and it feels like information is changing all the time, but here we go:
Max has posted a superb list of 10 unrestricted free agents-to-be who might interest the Red Wings, and Max really went in-depth to discuss his targets’ pluses and minuses. Here’s my pick of the litter:
Andrew Copp, C: The local product is coming off an excellent run with the Rangers, scoring over a point per game in New York’s final 16 regular-season games, then adding 14 in 20 in the playoffs.
That’s a great way to go into free agency, and also the main reason for caution before getting too excited here: That performance might have given the 28-year-old enough ammo to command a long-term deal, which could eliminate his hometown team from contention. Detroit hasn’t given out any contracts longer than four years under Yzerman.
Still, Copp is a big-bodied center who just put up 20 goals, proved he can score in the playoffs, and has historically strong defensive impacts. That checks a ton of boxes for Detroit, and the local tie is a good reason to believe he’d entertain a return home.
Copp would be well within his rights to fully capitalize on his career year and secure his financial future this summer. But if he’s willing to sign on a medium-term deal to return home, he’s an obvious fit. Evolving Hockey projects a four-year deal at about $5.8 million, which feels manageable for the Red Wings.
Continued (obviously)
