97.1 the Ticket’s Will Burchfield suggests that the Red Wings have some priorities to address when free agency begins on July 1st:
With their goaltending situation resolved, the Red Wings can shift their focus to bolstering their blueline and forward corps as they try to snap a nine-year playoff drought. They are in need of another top-six winger and another top-four defenseman if they intend to take a step forward in the East. They could use more toughness and tenacity throughout their lineup, something [Red Wings GM] Yzerman has acknowledged himself.
Asked what might be next this offseason, Yzerman said [to the NHL Network], “We’ll continue to explore the trade options. The free agency market at a lot of positions is pretty thin, but there are players that we would have some interest in if they’re still free on July 1.”
“Again, we’ve got some spots we’d like to upgrade on our roster, or open roster spots,” he added. “We’ll see if we can address it in free agency. I’m not that optimistic, to be honest with you, because there’s more teams than there are players for what we’re looking for. And we’ll continue to see if we can’t do something through trade, and once the draft settles down and once the initial July 1 free agency rush subsides, see what teams are looking to do after that.”
