I’ve found a quintet of articles which touch upon the Red Wings’ free agency moves this afternoon. Most offer grades as to how the Wings performed on a signing-by-signing basis, but the final article offers an interesting rumor as well.
We’ll begin with USA Today’s Mike Brehm, who issued a list of free agency “winners and losers,” giving the Wings a solid “win”…
Detroit Red Wings: The rebuild took a step forward with their signing of Michigan native Andrew Copp, wingers David Perron and Dominik Kubalik and defensemen Ben Chiarot, Olli Maatta and Mark Pysyk. Plus they improved their goaltending earlier by trading for and signing Ville Husso. Said Copp of the Red Wings: “It’s very similar to the teams I’ve played on in Winnipeg and New York where you kind of go from out of the playoffs, and all of a sudden, you’re a contender.”
Sportsnet’s Ryan Dixon wasn’t willing to call the Wings a “winner” this morning, but he doesn’t think that they “lost out” in free agency, either…
I See What You Did There: Detroit Red Wings
It’s not that any one thing Steve Yzerman did was a stroke of genius, it’s just that brining in the likes of Michigan boy Andrew Copp, hardnosed D-man Ben Chiarot and veteran scorer David Perron is an unmistakable sign Yzerman is ready to kick this rebuild into a new gear. If the Ville Husso play works out in goal, the Red Wings figure to be much more competitive this season.
The Sporting News’s Bryan Murphy offered a set of grades based upon the most prominent of yesterday’s signings, and he’s not an Andrew Copp fan…
Andrew Copp signs with the Red Wings on a five-year, $28.125 million contract
Grade: B-
Bringing in Copp solidifies the Red Wings’ second-line center behind Dylan Larkin, and what he brings to the table certainly should gel in nicely with Detroit. Copp raised his value after finding success with the Rangers post-trade deadline. However, he’s basically had less than half of a season and one playoff run as a top-six guy. With this contract, the Red Wings are showing they have confidence that Copp can continue to produce in the top-six, but there is some risk there.
ESPN’s Sean Allen and Victoria Matiash offered fantasy hockey-related takes on two of the Wings’ free agent signings…
Andrew Copp, C/W, Detroit Red Wings: Capitalizing on a huge season in which Copp stood on the shoulders of giants, the Red Wings got a very good player who might not be as fantasy relevant as it looks on paper. Copp is a third-line center in an ideal world, but he has shown an ability to play wing with star forwards when called upon. The trouble is, the Red Wings aren’t exactly bursting at the seams with Artemi Panarin or Nikolaj Ehlers level forwards.
It’s hard to see a fit on the Wings top line that is currently penciled in as Dylan Larkin, Tyler Bertuzzi and Lucas Raymond. And the depth chart falls off sharply after that, with Jakub Vrana and Pius Suter the next in line. If he repeats his fantasy points per game from last season, he’d just sneak into the top-200 players. And asking for a repeat without the same supporting cast is a lot. Copp is someone who might be best left undrafted. — Allen
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David Perron, RW, Detroit Red Wings: Detroit’s power play just got better. Twenty-six of Perron’s 57 points in 2021-22, split almost evenly between goals and assists, counted with the extra skater. A spot on the top unit with Dylan Larkin, Lucas Raymond, and defenseman Moritz Seider is nearly guaranteed for the ex-St. Louis skater, along with a top-six role at even strength. Perron’s overall production is never going to blow your fantasy mind, but the contributions on special teams add a fair bit of extra shine.
He merits mid- to late-round selection in most fantasy drafts that reward power play production. If the Red Wings don’t add any more significant bodies, or shift fellow Detroit newbie Andrew Copp to center, Pius Suter projects to be sitting pretty between some combo of Perron, Copp, and Jakub Vrana. Not a bad gig. New coach Derek Lalonde has a lot more work with — Dominik Kubalik, and defenders Ben Chiarot and Olli Maatta also signing up in Detroit — than he did only hours earlier. — Matiash
CBS Sports’ Chris Bengel and Austin Nivision offer our final articles via set of grades, concluding their piece with some predictions regarding the landing spots of the remaining free agents:
Andrew Copp | C | Detroit Red Wings: Copp proved his worth as a two-way forward last season. He has been a strong defensive presence throughout his career, but he found a goal-scoring touch in 2021-22. After being traded to the New York Rangers, Copp really took off with eight goals in 16 games, and he added 14 points in the team’s playoff run to the Eastern Conference final. That earned him a raise in the form of a five-year deal worth $28.125 million with the Red Wings. Copp will slot nicely into Detroit’s lineup as a middle-six center, but there is some concern about Copp being able to play up to that cap hit throughout the life of the deal. Grade: B — Austin Nivison
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David Perron | LW | Detroit Red Wings: Steve Yzerman had a busy day in Detroit, and this might be his best move. Even at the age of 33, Perron scored 27 goals and added 30 assists in 67 games last season, and he is still a valuable top-six winger. The only real concern is Perron’s age, and he only signed for two years at $4.5 million per season, so there is no risk for the Red Wings there. Detroit is entering the next stage of its rebuild, and Perron is a veteran who can contribute while helping to bring the young players along. Even if things don’t quite come together in the next couple seasons, Perron will be a nice trade chip. This is a fantastic deal for the Red Wings. Grade: A+ — Austin Nivison
And Bengel and Wajih AlBaroudi offer a surprising prediction regarding one Nazem Kadri’s landing spots:
Nazem Kadri’s potential destinations: The Avalanche likely won’t be able to retain Kadri’s services due to having to pay winger Artturi Lehkonen and defenseman Josh Manson, who are also free agents. The New York Rangers showed interest, but appear to be signing former Carolina Hurricanes center Vincent Trocheck to stabilize their second line. That leaves the Detroit Red Wings as a team that would make a ton of sense for Kadri given their young forward group. The Boston Bruins could also be an option if they can’t get something done to bring back Patrice Bergeron for his 19th season.
I don’t see the fit. But that’s just me.
