Bleacher Report’s Adam Gretz posted a lengthy set of “offseason grades” for every NHL team today, and here’s what he has to say about the Red Wings’ offseason moves:
If the Red Wings don’t take a significant step forward this season, it might be time for general manager Steve Yzerman to start facing some pressure. And based on the way he has conducted the past two offseasons, he seems to know that.
While I am not a huge fan of J.T. Compher getting a five-year, $25 million contract in free agency, the trade for Alex DeBrincat, as well as getting him signed to a long-term deal, does seem like a pretty big win for the Red Wings. DeBrincat is one of the best goal scorers in the NHL and adds some much-needed firepower to the top of the Red Wings’ lineup.
His goal-scoring took a bit of a hit during his one year in Ottawa, but there are a lot of signs that he should be able to bounce back this season. His ability to generate shots and drive possession all remained consistent from his normal career averages, while he still demonstrated the same level of playmaking. The only thing that dropped was his goal-scoring due almost entirely to a drop in shooting percentage. If his shooting luck changes, there is a real chance he gets back to the 40-goal form he showed earlier in his career with the Chicago Blackhawks.
Adding to the forward depth was Daniel Sprong on a one-year deal after he wasn’t given a qualifying offer by Seattle. Sprong is not exactly the most complete player in the NHL and he’s not going to do much to help you away from the puck, but do you know where he is going to help? By scoring. He was one of the most efficient goal scorers in the league last season on a per-minute basis and combined with DeBrincat and Compher should balance out Detroit’s lineup.
They also added some scoring punch to their blue line with the addition of Shayne Gostisbehere. While he never became the top-pairing player the Flyers envisioned he would become, he does still bring some value as a power-play specialist and bottom-pairing defender that can produce when properly sheltered.
The only noteworthy move from the Red Wings was acquiring Klim Kostin and Kailer Yamamoto from the Edmonton Oilers, which was promptly followed by buying Yamamoto’s contract. Do they like Kostin so much that is worth taking on a $500,000 empty cap hit the next two years to get him? Questionable. But not so questionable that erases everything else that was done.
Grade: B+
Continued; the more I consider what the Red Wings did, I believe that Yzerman and the Red Wings’ management felt that their changes made to the 2022-2023 team’s roster weren’t enough, and they doubled down on personnel turnover in order to bring in depth (and, in DeBrincat’s case, depth of scoring).
Will the Wings’ rather significant offseason changes yield a playoff run? I’m not certain, but I do believe that the Red Wings will be more competitive on more nights this season, and, given the relative thinness of the free agent marketplace this summer, Yzerman did all he could to improve the team as he was able.
