The Free Press’s Helene St. James posted an interesting idea while discussing the Red Wings’ free agency plans on Sunday night, noting that the Red Wings can possibly move Olli Maatta (or Justin Holl? The Wings get a second buyout window if they file for arbitration against any one of their restricted free agents–Jonatan Berggren, Lucas Raymond, Moritz Seider or Joe Veleno) to alleviate their logjam on defense:
[Red Wings GM] Yzerman also has to sort out his defense. Does he manage to bring back Shayne Gostisbehere? He made a world of difference on the power play, and added offense from the back end. If that happens, who goes? Olli Määttä is highly tradable – 29 years old, one year left at $3 million – but he was also the defenseman who partnered best with Gostisbehere.
Yzerman said over the weekend at the draft in Las Vegas that he “can’t bring everyone back.” So the priority is Kane, then Gostisbehere, and then see how much money is left. The Wings have roughly $32 million in salary cap space, but half of that is earmarked for contracts for restricted free agents Moritz Seider and Lucas Raymond.
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If the Kane situation can get settled, it at least gives the Wings a little breathing room going into free agency. They still need some depth players up front, and a third-string goaltender.
The Red Wings only have thirteen players signed, per PuckPedia–6 forwards, 5 defensemen, and 2 goalies–so there’s going to be some movement in the second half of the roster. The Wings will need bottom-six forwards, another defenseman and a “bridge goalie” (to help Sebastian Cossa, Carter Gylander and the Griffins-contracted ECHL’er Jan Bednar) at the very least, with the aforementioned Berggren, Raymond, Seider and Veleno accounting for a potential 3 more forward and 1 more defensive spots.
I’m assuming that Daniel Sprong, Christian Fischer, James Reimer, Zach Aston-Reese, Taro Hirose and Wyatt Newpower will walk, the Wings didn’t qualify Jared McIsaac, and Radim Simek signed with Liberec in the Czech Extraliga, so the team will need depth pieces.
Which “down the roster”/depth players would you like to see the Red Wings approach?
