Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman and Kyle Bukauskas discussed the free agency moves made and not made by each and every one of the NHL’s 32 teams on Sunday, and, at the 53:02 mark of the latest episode of 32 Thoughts, they address the Red Wings’ offseason plans…
So, the Hockey News’s Michael Whitaker reports the summary of comments made by the Sportsnet duo: Nikolaj Ehlers was never a realistic option; Friedman never had a doubt that Patrick Kane was going to stay; the Red Wings had interest in Viktor Arvidsson and Mason Marchment, who were traded to Boston and Seattle, respectively, so there were some things he wanted to do and wasn’t able to do; James van Riemsdyk and Mason Appleton were signed for 1 and 2 years, respectively, so Yzerman wasn’t planning on giving term to any of the free agents unless there was a “home run”; he says it’s a hard sell in Detroit, it’s been too many years without the playoffs, but Yzerman still believes in himself, no matter what the doubters suggest, and he’s drafting and developing, and unless it’s an Ehlers, Yzerman is betting his reputation on the young players are coming; even John Gibson is a situation where there’s not a lot of term, and he has to say healthy; the Wings had to move Vladimir Tarasenko, who wasn’t happy in Detroit; and Bukauskas notes that Derek Lalonde praised Detroit’s young core after he was fired.
