The Detroit News’s Ted Kulfan posted a free agency preview today, discussing some of the targets for the Red Wings to sign ahead of the start of unrestricted free agency tomorrow at 12 PM EDT.
Kulfan notes that the Red Wings “face uncertainty” in terms of the statuses of the Dylan Larkin trade and Patrick Kane’s decision as to whether he will return, but Kulfan believes that the following players should be pursued no matter what:
▶ Mason Marchment, left wing, Columbus: Marchment, 31, would be a nice fit for the Wings, playing up or down the lineup, and at 6-foot-5, plays the rugged type of game they need. He twice scored 22 goals in Dallas, and last season had 19 goals between playing for Seattle and Columbus. Marchment will have a lot of interested teams who likely will overpay for the good player, but not star.
▶ Viktor Arvidsson, left wing, Boston: Arvidsson, 33, scored 25 goals in Boston in sort of a rebirth season. He’s been a steady pro for much of his career and has been a dependable 20-goal scorer. It would be surprising if he doesn’t work something out with the Bruins.
▶ Anders Lee, left wing, N.Y. Islanders: Lee, 35, has played on Long Island is entire career, and the expectation is the two sides will work something out in the late hours. Lee saw his streak of 20-plus goal seasons end at five last season — he scored 19. He’s excellent around the net.
▶ Connor Ingram, goaltender, Edmonton: Could be a nice fit as a backup goaltender to Gibson. Ingram, 29, was 16-10-3 with the Oilers, with an .899 save percentage. Ingram could thrive in a lesser role, but able to play more if Gibson were to get hurt.
▶ Patrik Laine, right wing, Montreal: Laine only played five games because of an abdominal surgery last season in Montreal. Laine has one of the strongest shots in the NHL and could be a viable gamble on an incentive-laden contract. His defensive shortcomings and inconsistency, though, are glaring.
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▶ Louis Domingue, goaltender, Florida: Domingue might be the type of goaltender who would be able to shuttle between the Wings and Grand Rapids comfortably and provide the young goaltenders in the organization with veteran advice. He has plenty of experience backing up at the NHL level.
Continued, with some less likely-to-sign targets…
