The Athletic’s Max Bultman discusses the Red Wings’ probable free agency targets this morning, and his “needle-movers” are star players, but Bultman’s list does include role players who might make a difference, as well as potential trade candidates:
Aaron Ekblad, RHD, Florida Panthers: When you factor both Detroit’s needs and the potential to land one of the players in this top group, Ekblad comes out on top. He’s a clear top-four defenseman coming off a strong playoff run for the Stanley Cup champion Panthers, and happens to be from just across the river in Windsor, Ontario. There are fair questions on how he will age on the back half of a long-term deal, as a big body who has logged a ton of minutes and plays with an edge. But he remains highly effective, can make an impact at both ends of the ice and would immediately elevate the blue line. That’s a lot to like.
Nikolaj Ehlers, LW, Winnipeg Jets: Ehlers doesn’t have Brad Marchand’s hard edge, but he brings a ton of speed and offense to a top six. Crucially, he can produce at five-on-five, which matters for a team that can be pretty power-play dependent for its offense. He’d be another small winger without much edge, which could be an issue for a Red Wings team that wants to be harder to play against, and perhaps makes him less likely. But there’s no doubting his talent.
Brock Boeser, RW, Vancouver Canucks: Boeser is a proven goal scorer with some size, which is immediately interesting. His 40-goal season in 2023-24 is more of an outlier, with 23-29 goals more like his baseline, but his career per-game numbers would translate to 30 goals over a full season, which qualifies as needle-moving. He also has Midwest roots, though it’s worth noting his hometown Minnesota Wild also has cap space to work with.
Continued (paywall); I don’t expect the Wings to add any of the above-named players, but I certainly hope that they can add at least one of them.
Update: The Athletic asked its NHL beat writers what the NHL’s 32 teams should prioritize in free agency, and Bultman weighed in there as well:
Detroit Red Wings
Top-four defenseman
The Red Wings have two young defense pillars in Moritz Seider and Simon Edvinsson, but could really use another veteran in the top four to insulate them. Last year, Ben Chiarot and youngster Albert Johansson did that job most nights. While Detroit can likely get away with running it back on one of those two pairings, they should really push to upgrade at least one of those two spots. — Max Bultman
