Perhaps somewhat surprisingly, The Athletic’s Shayna Goldman is among those who suggest that the Red Wings “won” over the course of the first day of free agency:
Detroit Red Wings: Ottawa’s not the only Atlantic Division team to trend in the right direction. The Red Wings handled their goaltending situation before free agency by acquiring the signing rights to Ville Husso. Detroit used free agency to address their offense and defense.
The Ben Chiarot contract was a choice, and not a very good one. Olli Maatta signed an inexpensive deal that could easily be flipped at the deadline if the team is looking to recoup some assets, too. He’s absolutely an upgrade on the left side over Danny DeKeyser.
Up front is where Detroit really made a splash. The Andrew Copp signing adds a very versatile all-situation forward to the top nine who could help add some defensive support to a team that sorely needed it, especially in the second half of 2021-22. The Dominik Kublaik signing adds some offensive support lower in the lineup after the Blackhawks decided not to qualify him. Maybe the best signing of all was the David Perron contract. There’s risk because of his age, but he’s a consistent offensive creator who should help elevate this Red Wings team.
Detroit may not be a threat in the Atlantic Division yet, but this should be a more competitive team that doesn’t face a disastrous second half of the season that likely destroys morale.
Continued (paywall)
