The Detroit News’s Ted Kulfan has posted a notebook article in which he discusses the Red Wings’ probable free agency moves:
[Detroit’s] $31 million [in] cap space looks huge, but remember there are upcoming big contracts with Dylan Larkin and Tyler Bertuzzi beginning with the 2023-24 season, and before too long, Moritz Seider and Lucas Raymond.
But [GM Steve] Yzerman is intent on finding more help for the nucleus of players that has been here through much of the rebuild, along with simply improving upon several disappointing recent seasons.
“We want help for Dylan (Larkin), Tyler (Bertuzzi), Filip Hronek,” Yzerman said. “They’ve been here a few years, Dylan and Tyler particularly. We want to surround them with some better players. We watched the positive impact some of our younger guys (Seider, Raymond) had this year. We’d like to add to that, and continue to move forward.
“If there’s a player that can make what we feel would be a significant impact, we’re not afraid to do that in free agency. If we can find a player that fills a hole and the contract makes sense, whether it’s a one-year deal or a long-term deal, we’ll do it.”
As in the previous few years, term of the contracts might be a key issue with any free agent the Wings pursue. They are nearing the end of their organizational rebuild, but still aren’t quite at the point of signing long-term deals with older players who they would be saddled with just as they pursue playoff berths. There are plenty of things for Yzerman to consider.
“What’s the cost of acquiring that player? Does the cost of acquiring that player make sense for where we hope to be in three or four years or are we just spending a whole lot of money and are not going to be much different in three or four years, whether that player is here or helped get us there,” Yzerman said. “Is there a more efficient way to get there at the end of the day? We weigh it all and that’s for short-term and long-term contracts.”
