The Athletic’s Max Bultman and Shayna Goldman examine what the Red Wings’ organization presents the Red Wings’ next hockey executive in terms of franchise assets, tradeable assets, its timeline and “fit” for the next big GM in Detroit sports.
So “What’s in place?”
A top-five finisher for the Norris Trophy last season, [Moritz] Seider is just entering the prime of his career as a do-it-all defenseman — something every team covets. That’s a great place to start, especially when paired with another big, mobile pillar in Simon Edvinsson, who is already logging huge minutes and has even more runway ahead of him at age 23.
Add in another young first-rounder in puck-mover Axel Sandin-Pellikka (21), the steady Albert Johansson and intriguing big right-shot prospect Anton Johansson and the Red Wings’ blue line has a strong young core to build upon.
Up front is a little murkier, owing to both the Larkin uncertainty and the future of Alex DeBrincat, who has one year left on his contract. Last season, DeBrincat was Detroit’s best and most consistent forward, scoring 41 goals and 85 points and playing all 82 games.
At age 28, DeBrincat still has many productive years in front of him, and if the Red Wings can extend him, the combination of him and Raymond gives Detroit a strong duo of wingers atop the lineup. Both were among the top 20 NHL wings in points last season, and Raymond still has a higher gear in him than his 76 points a year ago (down from 80 a year prior). At 24, he is just entering his prime, and there is 90-point upside in his game.
If they can’t extend DeBrincat, it gets much more complicated. Detroit has some notable scoring prospects on the wing — Michael Brandsegg-Nygård, Carter Bear, Max Plante and J.P. Hurlbert — but 40-goal scorers such as DeBrincat are rare and hard to replace. That makes his future a key domino for the Red Wings’ direction.
The biggest questions, though, are still down the middle. If Larkin doesn’t walk back his trade request, Detroit will have a major need there in both the short- and long-term. Certainly the Red Wings would love to get a young top-six center back in a potential Larkin deal. But typically, there’s only one real way to land those players: by drafting them, usually early.
The Red Wings have a pair of young recent top-10 picks down the middle in Marco Kasper and Nate Danielson, plus veterans Andrew Copp and J.T. Compher in the short-term. And Kasper in particular has a lot of winning elements, making him an important piece going forward for Detroit. He’s an up-tempo, hard-edged player who can score at the net and do a lot of dirty work. But the offensive ceiling for both him and Danielson is a question, and likely will prevent either from being a first-line center on a contender.
Continued (paywall) at length…excellent reading.
