The Detroit News’s astute John Niyo offers a late-evening-posted column which discusses Red Wings GM Steve Yzerman’s comments regarding his aggressiveness in unrestricted free agency, and hazards a guess as to whether the big-money signings will pay off in the short term:
After Yzerman spent more than two-thirds of his hefty salary-cap space this offseason – including the roughly $20 million for 2022-23 the GM doled out in the first 12 hours of free agency Wednesday – there’s finally a surplus of NHL-ready talent on the roster.
As a result, [coach Derek] Lalonde figures to have some decisions to make before the start of the regular season. And for a welcome change, those decisions won’t end once the puck drops for the Oct. 14 home opener against Montreal, either.
Because while this revamped roster – and a lineup that will feature at least a half-dozen new faces – promises to be more competitive with the rest of the league, it also promises more competition. Right from the start of training camp in Traverse City in September, in fact.
“A lot of guys have something prove here now,” Yzerman said Thursday, following a frenzied start to free agency that saw a handful of deals involving Detroit. “There’s competition for ice time. There’s competition for jobs on the team. So I’m hoping with the change in the coaching staff and the additions of the new players, that all of our guys are coming in ready to go. It’s important that they make a good first impression.
“They’re gonna want that, because the coach is gonna have to make decisions on opening night on who’s in the lineup and who’s playing in all different situations.”
Again, that’s what passes for progress in a program that’s now six full years removed from its last postseason appearance. It’s also a genuine sign of hope for a team that finished 26 points out of the final Eastern Conference playoff berth this past spring.
