Of brief Red Wings-related note this afternoon:
- We’ll all nod along to SI’s Jon Alfano’s list of “One move every Atlantic Division team must make,” even though he gives the Red Wings two to-do list items…
Detroit Red Wings: Detroit has two massive restricted free agents to sign in leading scorer Lucas Raymond and top defenseman Moritz Seider, and with $17.6 million in remaining cap space (according to PuckPedia), they should be able to get it done. The goalie trio of Ville Husso, Alex Lyon and free agent pickup Cam Talbot is also cause for concern, but that issue probably requires an internal solution.
2. Bleacher Report’s Joe Yerdon does not have much faith in the Red Wings improving this upcoming season. He suggests that fans should “sell” in terms of buying or not believing that the NHL’s rebuilding teams will improve in 2024-2025:
Detroit Red Wings: It’s difficult to understand where Detroit GM Steve Yzerman is coming from. In their efforts to get back to the playoffs for the first time since 2016, the Red Wings have come up short the past two years, but the adjustment this summer is curious.
Re-signing Patrick Kane was a good idea, and signing Vladimir Tarasenko gives them the depth lost after David Perron signed in Ottawa. But trading Jake Walman to San Jose to free up money was a curious decision, right?
They signed Cam Talbot to help out in goal, which helps after James Reimer signed with Buffalo, and Erik Gustafsson will help replace Walman on defense. They still need to get long-term deals done with RFAs Moritz Seider and Lucas Raymond, but those are the no-brainer moves to be made.
Still, the goal is to get over the hump and back to the playoffs. It’s tough to tell if this team is any better (or worse) than it was.
Verdict: Selling
Yes, it’s tough to tell whether the Red Wings are better, but the same could be said of Ottawa (even with the addition of Linus Ullmark) and Buffalo and Montreal. We’ll have to watch this upcoming season to determine how things play out…
3. In the alumni department, Pro Hockey Rumors’ Josh Erikson reports that former Red Wings prospect defenseman Jared McIsaac has signed with HC Verva Litvinov of the Czech Extraliga.
McIsaac, 24, was drafted 36th overall in 2018 by the Wings, but he struggled with shoulder injuries which required surgery as a young prospect, and he never really found a home on the Grand Rapids Griffins’ roster–to the point that he was loaned to HC Ambri-Piotta of the Swiss National Liga, and then the AHL’s Providence Bruins, this past season–so it’s no surprise that the Red Wings let his contract expire.
4. Finally, trade rumor-producer Eklund is suggesting that the Red Wings are “making the heaviest push” to acquire Jacob Trouba after the potential trade between the New York Rangers and Red Wings supposedly collapsed in June due to familial issues and Trouba’s desire to remain the Rangers’ captain.
I’ve learned to never rule out anything categorically, but between Mrs. Trouba’s pursuit of her PhD in New York and Trouba’s $8 million salary, I don’t see a “fit” in Detroit unless the Rangers take back players with massive contracts.
Detroit’s got to re-sign Raymond, Seider and Berggren, and worry about the team’s goaltending issues, as SI’s Alfano suggested. The team’s not going to mess with its cap situation any further unless the Rangers make far too good a trade deal to pass up. I don’t see that happening here, unless something utterly remarkable happens.
