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New York Times
28-05-2025
- Business
- New York Times
Red Wings offseason scenarios: 3 potential paths for Detroit's summer
As the days tick by, the meat of the NHL offseason draws ever closer for the Detroit Red Wings. The NHL playoff field is down to just four teams now, the draft combine is only a week away, and before you know it, the race to July 1 will be on. This is shaping up to be a fascinating summer for the Red Wings, who have every reason to be aggressive as they look to end a nine-year playoff drought. Advertisement But what could that look like? That's the question this article will seek to answer, diving into three potential scenarios for what general manager Steve Yzerman's offseason could look like. Detroit has roughly $22 million in cap space going into the summer, depending on whether or not you count Austin Watson (who was extended last season, and finished the year up with the big club, chipping in three goals). These are just a handful of the many permutations for what Detroit could do, but are meant to illustrate the range of options on the table. That said, there were three moves taken as a given in every scenario: re-signing Patrick Kane, Albert Johansson and Elmer Söderblom, all of whom were productive contributors in 2024-25. That left just under $15 million in salary cap room, as the Red Wings' remaining baseline. That's certainly plenty of room to make moves, but in a year where player salaries could soar with the expectation of a rising salary cap, it may not go as far as it might sound. With that said, here are three potential ways the Red Wings could approach this crucial summer. The first scenario tried to spread the money around Detroit's three big needs — the top-four 'D,' a top-line winger, and a harder-nosed 'identity' forward down the lineup. Buying out Vladimir Tarasenko was part of that, freeing up $3.16 million in cap savings, and in this scenario, the big addition was Aaron Ekblad — one of the top two defensemen on the free-agent market. I'd imagine Ekblad and Vladislav Gavrikov will cost about the same, so you can imagine him in that top four instead if you'd like, but I felt Ekblad's local ties (he's a Windsor native) made him a little more realistic. Certainly, this defense corps is immediately more imposing. Ekblad is a former No. 1 pick who plays 23 minutes a night on the reigning Stanley Cup Champion Florida Panthers. He's a 6-foot-4 defenseman who can play physical and bring offense. In this current playoff run, he's been especially productive with 10 points in 12 games. He could be an excellent partner for Simon Edvinsson. Advertisement The big question is how he will age. He's already had a hard time staying healthy in his career, and late this season, he was suspended 20 games for violating the terms of the league's performance-enhancing substance program. Carrying around that big body certainly comes with physical wear and tear, so giving out this kind of contract to the 29-year-old would have to mean confidence from the Red Wings that they can build a winner in the first half or so of the deal to make the most of it. That is the case (at least to some degree) for most top free agents, though, and there's no doubt Ekblad would improve this blue line right away. So in this scenario, Detroit takes the plunge. That contract takes up just under half of Detroit's remaining space, after the Tarasenko buyout, so the next step was looking for a top-line winger. There wasn't enough money to get both a high-profile 'D' and the top free agent forward, Mitch Marner. But there were still some intriguing options available, headlined by Sam Bennett, Nikolaj Ehlers and Brad Marchand. The key in this scenario, though, was to try and address all three needs, which meant spending all of it on Bennett or Ehlers wasn't an option, though both are excellent players, and Bennett might just be the single best stylistic fit for Detroit on the market. Marchand is a very good alternative, especially with the playoffs he's having, but instead, the Red Wings go with a trade for Mason Marchment, a 6-5 winger coming off consecutive 22-goal seasons in Dallas. The Stars are coming up on a legit cap crunch, especially if they plan to keep both Matt Duchene and Jamie Benn, which seems to be the plan. If that's the case, they'll need to shed salary, and Marchment (who has one year left at $4.5 million) would make a lot of sense for Detroit to target at the cost of a second-round pick and a young, cheap winger in Jonatan Berggren. Advertisement Marchment certainly won't make a Bennett-level impact physically, but his size would still provide a dimension Detroit lacks in its top-six, without sacrificing offense in the process. Marchment has been in the Stars' top-six during this playoff run, playing with Duchene and Tyler Seguin. Slotting him with Dylan Larkin and Lucas Raymond, then, should be a fairly easy fit. Yzerman has shied away from using high draft picks on rentals, but this would be for at least one full season, with the option to either extend Marchment or trade him for a potentially similar return at the deadline (as he previously did with Nick Leddy). That leaves the hard-nosed identity forward, and in this case, it's Brandon Tanev, whose 168 hits in 2024-25 would have trailed only Moritz Seider (212) on the Red Wings. Hits certainly aren't the only stat that matters when it comes to identity, but it's an area Detroit could certainly use more of, and Tanev chipped in 10 goals as well. If Detroit were to take a cheaper option in that role, then those savings (as well as the leftover $2.7 million) could be enough to at least bid for a Bennett (or Ehlers) at the top of the lineup — though it's no guarantee either would have the Red Wings atop their list. But regardless, this scenario would make the Red Wings bigger and harder to play against, while also adding players who can contribute offensively, this scenario leaves a little extra cap space to spare. This group would certainly have a shot at snapping Detroit's playoff drought. If the Ekblad contract and cost of the Marchment trade left you feeling antsy, perhaps you'd prefer to see Detroit take a slightly more measured approach to their offseason business. In this scenario, that's exactly what they do: adding, but not committing so many years to older players, and paying a lower trade cost for that top-line wing spot while also leaving some room for a young player (in this case, Nate Danielson) to play his way onto the team. Advertisement We haven't seen Detroit leave spots for unproven prospects in the past, and I wouldn't expect the Red Wings to start doing so now. But that's where Tarasenko comes in: by keeping him, it acts as insurance. But if Danielson (or, in a longer shot, Michael Brandsegg-Nygård) is ready, it's easy enough to scratch or demote him to make room. As for the outside moves in this scenario, Chris Kreider would represent a fairly cheap (asset-wise) addition up top, with some upside if he can rebound from a disappointing 2024-25 campaign in which he still scored 22 goals. At 34 years old, that rebound is far from a guarantee — but Kreider scored 35 goals or more in each of his prior three seasons, so it is well within the realm of possibility, especially playing with Larkin and Raymond. Detroit owns the Rangers' 2025 third-round pick, and for the sake of the exercise, we'll call that the ballpark cost for Kreider, whose two remaining years at a $6.5 million AAV, New York may be motivated to move. On defense, there was room to swing a bit bigger than Brian Dumoulin, but not enough to afford Gavrikov or Ekblad. At that point, Detroit will have to decide if it thinks any of Ivan Provorov, Dmitry Orlov or Ryan Lindgren is a top-pair caliber option. If not, they're probably better served with someone like Dumoulin, who would be cheaper and — while likely best cast on the third pair — at least a candidate to play higher in the lineup if needed. This team would be betting heavily on internal growth (and that Kreider rebound year) to get into the playoffs. But it would preserve significant flexibility going forward, while still adding some fresh faces to the locker room. OK, here's the one you clicked for. If Detroit wants to be aggressive this summer, there's certainly a case for going after the biggest name on the market, Toronto's Mitch Marner. Yes, Marner would be another smaller forward in a lineup that already has a few of those. He's also a 100-point scorer (fifth in the league this season) who gets annual Selke consideration. There aren't many players like that floating around. Advertisement Raymond might have to switch sides of the ice in this scenario, but that would create more opportunities to use his impressive one-timer. And if Marner is going to be a primary facilitator, it becomes easier to ask Larkin to do some more dirty work for the line down low. Marner would also have the potential to help Detroit's penalty kill, the team's Achilles' heel last season. Marner's playoff track record is what it is — but he'd certainly help Detroit get back there, and perhaps getting out of Toronto would help him at that time of year. Simply put, Marner is going to get to call his own shot this summer. Odds are, it won't be Detroit. But for a player of his talent level, the Red Wings have to at least inquire. If they do win the Marner sweepstakes, it won't leave the Red Wings much room to maneuver. For that reason, Tarasenko was again bought out in this scenario, and that still only left a small amount to work with. Nick Cousins doesn't have the size of your typical hard-nosed depth forward, but his runaway victory in The Athletic's 'player you'd most like to punch' poll in 2024 suggests he's doing something right as a pest. Meanwhile, Nicolas Hague, like Marchment, is a candidate to move via trade because Vegas may not be able to justify paying him, with a deep blue line and holes to fill elsewhere. He's also younger and could be a candidate to get a look in higher deployment, as he's been a solid third-pair staple for the Golden Knights. Fans will no doubt note that I included prospect Carter Mazur in every scenario here. I don't know if that's the way it will work out this fall, and Mazur has certainly struggled to stay in the lineup. But he's another young player who can make Detroit harder to play against while still bringing offense. I do like his chances of being on the team — if he's healthy. Advertisement This scenario would feature the star power Red Wings fans have wanted for years, and would be fascinating to watch play out. Which player would come off of Detroit's elite top power play unit, for example? How would Marner look away from the star-studded Maple Leafs core? And outside the Toronto spotlight? Those are all real questions, and Detroit would be betting big on Marner being enough to elevate this group into the playoffs. But hey, that's sort of what you expect when you offer a player $13 million a year, right? (Photo of Mitch Marner and Marco Kasper: Nick Turchiaro / Imagn Images)
New York Times
07-05-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
What I'm seeing from Red Wings' top prospects in AHL playoffs
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — The AHL playoffs are not off to a good start for the Detroit Red Wings' top affiliate. Two games into a best-of-five series against the Texas Stars, the Grand Rapids Griffins find themselves in a 2-0 hole, and it has looked like it sounds. The Stars took Game 1 by way of a 4-0 shutout. Texas raced out to another 4-0 lead in Game 2, as well, before the Griffins found some spark and cut it to a 4-2 final. In other words, it's getting late pretty early for Detroit's top prospects, and they're going to need to dig deep to get back into the series and keep their playoff run alive as the series shifts to Texas. So, what's gone wrong, and what can the series tell us about some of the Red Wings' prospects (including four recent first-round picks)? Here's what I'm seeing so far, after attending Game 2 in person and watching Game 1 on video. The turnovers Three of the eight goals Texas has scored in this series have come on entirely avoidable turnovers. In Game 1, it was Elmer Söderblom bobbling a pass in the neutral zone that quickly went the other way in transition for a goal. With Grand Rapids already down a goal at the time, it put the Griffins down 2-0 less than seven minutes into the game. In Game 2, Amadeus Lombardi made a similar mistake in the same part of the ice, trying to skate the puck into the zone despite back pressure, losing his handle on it, and seeing it go the other way for the first goal of the game. And minutes later, Anton Johansson had an attempted rim pass picked off below the defensive goal line, leading to a scramble at the net and another early 2-0 deficit. 'We cannot give that team the puck,' Griffins coach Dan Watson said. 'They don't need it. And to give it to them for free, we're just playing right into their hands.' Texas has done very well to force those turnovers, both with their forechecking and the pressure they've given on the backcheck, as with Lombardi's goal. The Griffins aren't getting hardly any free ice to skate or pass into, and as a result, Texas has been able to extend possessions and wear them down — which only compounds the problem, as decision-making rarely gets better when players are tired. 'We've got to get out of our zone,' Watson said. 'I mean, we killed a couple plays, we had it, and then we turn it over and now they're spending a minute in our zone. And all of the sudden — you guys can see — (it's) five guys standing around because they're tired. So we have to make sure that pucks get past their pressure, responsibly. With possession, hopefully — but if not, we have to make sure we manage those in our D-zone.' Even accounting for the very significant credit Texas is due here in causing that chaos, the Griffins have to cut back on the mental lapses if they're going to keep their season alive. The top prospects As you can guess by the score lines, there hasn't been a ton of offense to speak of from Detroit's top prospects. The one big exception to that would be 2024 first-round pick Michael Brandsegg-Nygård, who had a goal and an assist in Monday's Game 2, first picking up an assist on Sheldon Dries' power-play goal, and then later adding a goal of his own — his first as a Griffin. He finished the night with three shots on goal in total. Presenting the first North American goal for Michael Brandsegg-Nygård.@griffinshockey | @DetroitRedWings — American Hockey League (@TheAHL) May 6, 2025 The goal was encouraging because of how repeatable it was. With his linemates battling for the puck down low, Brandsegg-Nygård got himself open just above the crease and then ripped home the goal on his first touch. His shot is his bread and butter, and it'll be particularly effective on exactly that kind of play, where the goalie has minimal time to prepare for it, and even less time to stop it from in tight. It's easy to imagine him scoring a lot of goals just like that. 'I thought he was more comfortable in his play tonight,' Watson said. 'I thought he played really well. Obviously moved him up the lineup as the game went along. Just thought he was physical, thought he had some good shots on net — which obviously that's a weapon for him.' Keep in mind, Brandsegg-Nygård has only played four AHL games to this point (two regular season, and two playoffs). His ice time has steadily ticked up each game, though, starting out at 13 minutes in his debut and reaching 17 minutes on Monday. He said he's talked a lot with the Grand Rapids coaches and development staff to figure out what he needs to do to be successful in this new league, and said he feels like he's getting better and has the 'American mindset.' 'Just get the puck North and get it to the net,' he said. That's a great place to start, and as Watson alluded, his physicality is certainly going to fit right in, too. He's certainly not shy to use his body to win a battle. It will take him time, like it does all players, to fully adjust. But he's a player who only needs an instant to make his impact felt. Fellow recent addition Axel Sandin Pellikka hasn't had a real signature moment in the series yet, though Watson did say Monday was 'one of his better games, for sure.' Certainly, Sandin Pellikka is a natural puck-mover who looks very fluid transitioning a first pass up ice, and Watson noted that he 'walks the blue line with confidence.' I've also felt he's competed hard, which is crucial for a smaller defenseman. But it will probably take him some time to really get a feel for the AHL game, where there's simply less time and space than in Sweden. He's a good skater, but more so with his edges and change of direction than pure speed, so a lot of his damage will be done with his brain, as he learns to dissect AHL penalty kills and defensive coverages. That's a process, and it's why these late-season games in Grand Rapids are important for him. He's on the top power play, and he's been over 21 minutes in both playoff games so far. He's got more playoff games ahead, plus a big offseason, so a lot can change between now and September. But from what I've seen so far, I think starting in Grand Rapids next year could be good for him as he continues to make those adjustments. I am more curious about Nate Danielson when it comes to the Detroit roster conversation. Danielson hasn't been on the board in the series so far, but I did notice him making slick, mature plays in the defensive zone late in the game, and the way he finds the middle with passes after using his speed outside is usually a good recipe for offense. It's a familiar story with Danielson, though, whose tools — skating, size, smarts — tend to stand out, but you're still left wanting to see it lead to actual goals. Now, this has not been a high-scoring Griffins team all year (their leading scorer, AHL veteran Joe Snively, had 47 points in 72 games). That obviously affects how many points there are to go around, and in this series, the turnovers and breakout issues have only compounded that. You can't go play in the offensive end if you're hemmed in your own. There is one school of thought that for a player like Danielson, simply playing with NHL teammates — who can be more predictable in their actions — could lead to more production. But if Danielson were to be on the NHL roster next fall, it's also true that he'd likely be in a third-line role. I'm not sure if the Red Wings will be inclined to do that, or if they'll prefer for him to play a top-line, top power-play role to try and coax out more of that offense. What's up with Sebastian Cossa? There was one notable absence from the Griffins' lineup Monday: 2021 first-round pick goaltender Sebastian Cossa, who was pulled after allowing four goals on 19 shots in the first 29 minutes of Game 1, and then sat in favor of veteran Jack Campbell in Game 2. 'I thought (Campbell) played well when he came in (in Game 1),' Watson said. 'I know he only had 11 shots, but still, I thought he was solid, played well. He played well for us (in) our last game (of the regular season) in Iowa, that we had to win, kind of stole that game for us. So that was basically the decision.' That comes on the heels of Steve Yzerman's end-of-season press conference, when he said of Cossa, 'We're looking for him to take another step. I'm not prepared today to put him in the NHL. He had a very good first two-thirds of the season, his play dipped a little bit after the (AHL) All-Star break, and this is a big playoff for him.' It's a tricky balance for Watson to walk, between giving Cossa — a key piece of the organization's future in goal — the chance to work things out and have that 'big playoff' Yzerman spoke of, and needing to make the game-to-game decisions that give Grand Rapids the best chance to stay alive in those playoffs. And clearly, he leaned Campbell's way in that regard in Game 2. After Campbell also gave up four goals on Monday — two off those turnovers, one on the power play, and one on a rush chance — we'll see which way the Griffins go for Game 3 on Friday. But frankly, given Cossa's significance to the future, it's a bit concerning that it's a legitimate debate right now. The surprise bright spot The Griffins player who might have caught my eye most often Monday night was not one of the first-round picks, nor one of the longtime AHL veterans in the lineup. It was 2022 fourth-round pick Anton Johansson, a right-shot defenseman who played North of 20 minutes for the Griffins. He had one of those turnovers that led to a goal in Game 2, so it wasn't all pretty, but Johansson's skating really pops — especially at 6-foot-4. He plays hard and sometimes mean, he has a big shot, and he can cover a lot of ground. That's a very appealing package for a 20-year-old defenseman, even if he's still raw. 'He's got that snarl to his game when he wants it,' Watson said. 'He plays long, he's got a good stick. I've liked everything I've seen about him, to be honest with you. He's a mature kid, but in this locker room, he does bring the spirits high. He likes to have fun. He enjoys coming to the rink and he loves the game. So he's going to continue to develop, and he's a really good prospect.' (Photo of Nate Danielson: Courtesy of Nicolas Carrillo / Griffins)
Yahoo
27-03-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Petr Mrazek, Elmer Söderblom out for Detroit Red Wings, Cam Talbot OK to backup
Petr Mrazek, Elmer Söderblom out for Detroit Red Wings, Cam Talbot OK to backup The Detroit Red Wings are still waiting for more clarity on two of their injured players, but at least one already seems to have mended. Todd McLellan said after Thursday's morning skate at Little Caesars Arena that Cam Talbot would be available to back up Alex Lyon during the evening game against the Ottawa Senators. Goaltender Petr Mrazek and forward Elmer Söderblom, however, remain in sick bay. Advertisement "Don't have an update there," McLellan said. "Should know more Friday." Mar 24, 2025; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Detroit Red Wings goaltender Petr Mrazek (43) blocks a shot by Utah Hockey Club right wing Dylan Guenther (11) during the first period at Delta Center. Mandatory Credit: Rob Gray-Imagn Images More: Detroit Red Wings say 'belief is there,' but it's 'obviously not enough' Mrazek was injured during a collision in his crease less than two minutes into Monday's game at Utah Hockey Club. Talbot tweaked something Monday that worsened overnight, forcing the Wings to change plans to have him start that night at the Colorado Avalanche. The Wings called up Sebastian Cossa under emergency conditions to have available as backup in Denver, but he'll be reassigned back to Grand Rapids with Talbot cleared. Advertisement Söderblom re-aggravated an injury late in the Utah game. Contact Helene St. James at hstjames@ Follow her on Twitter @helenestjames. Read more on the Detroit Red Wings and sign up for our Red Wings newsletter. Her latest book, 'The Franchise: Detroit Red Wings, A Curated History of the Red Wings,' was released October 2024. Her books, 'On the Clock: Behind the Scenes with the Detroit Red Wings at the NHL Draft,' and 'The Big 50: The Men and Moments that made the Detroit Red Wings' are available from Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Triumph Books. Personalized copies available via her e-mail. This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Red Wings injury updates: Petr Mrazek, Elmer Söderblom out,
Yahoo
25-03-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Utah HC Give Up 5 Unanswered Goals in 5-1 Loss to Red Wings
After scoring a combined 11 goals in its past two home games, with the recent Tampa game being one of its most electric performances this season, Utah ran out of steam against the Detroit Red Wings. While the 5-1 score for the Red Wings highlights a dominant offense performance, Detroit would only end the night with 14 shots on the goal. Considering one of those shots was on an empty net too, this game was far from featuring the high flying shots a typical five goal game brings. Even worse, Utah had only allowed five goal shots to the Red Wings through two periods of play. They were even facing Alex Lyon, Detroit's backup goalie, who was forced into action after newly acquired goalie Petr Mrázek was injured after a collision from Dylan Guenther. But it didn't matter that the Red Wings had only a five shots on goal, they still managed to score twice, with the first goal coming from an Elmer Söderblom power-play goal. So Swede. 👌 — Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) March 25, 2025 Utah's 1-0 lead quickly disappeared after a mishandled pass between Dylan Guenther and Sean Durzi led to an odd-man rush for Detroit. With only Utah's Olli Määttä back to defend, Elmer Söderblom found himself alone and wide open, ultimately scoring just over a minute after Utah took the lead. While the Red Wings goal would act as a response to Guenther's power play goal, which happened to be his 100th career point, it would also serve as the start of a five goal run that Utah wouldn't be able to answer. 🫵 CAN'T STOP THAT! — Utah Hockey Club (@utahhockeyclub) March 25, 2025 Utah had four more power-play opportunities throughout the game but struggled to create space for shooting lanes, never looking comfortable. "I don't know. We had a good start," said Clayton Keller. "We had a lot of possessions, some shots early, but I don't think we did a good enough job of getting to the inside, hitting those rebounds … power plays got to be better. We had a good start there, but we have to find a way to get another one there. So that's definitely frustrating as well." While Utah was looking for "good force," it was Detroit who kept getting plays to go its way, starting with Detroit's Marco Kasper getting a goal after deflecting the puck off of Utah's Lawson Crouse. Marco Kasper gives Detroit the lead! #LGRW — Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) March 25, 2025 Though it was a rather unfortunate goal to give up, Utah was only down 2-1 off and was playing stout defense throughout two periods. The game was very much in reach. However, it would be Detroit once again that got an unlikely break, this time in the form of an Austin Watson tip on the puck that floated over Utah goalie Karel Vejmelka and dropped perfectly behind his back. Watty's 1st as a Red Wing! #LGRW — Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) March 25, 2025 "Nothing's easy, right? You need a lot of good force on your side," said Utah's Ian Cole. "You need calls on your side, you need to take advantage of opportunities, and you need to play really, really good hockey... Tonight some of those things did not go for us, but we're right back at it against a great team in Tampa in a couple days." After that, Detroit's defense locked down Utah for the rest of the third period, allowing only four shots on goal and disrupting any remaining rhythm Utah had Ultimately, the loss was a big blow to Utah, as it fell six points behind the St. Louis Blues, who are currently on a six-game winning streak and owners of the final wild card spot in the West. While the widening gap makes Utah's playoff hopes slimmer, the team will need to prepare for its upcoming three-game road trip and hope that its competitors experience some slumps over Utah's final 11 games. André Tourigny Responds To Heartfelt Messages Directed Towards Connor Ingram After Utah's latest 3-2 win against Anaheim, head coach André Tourigny walked into the room to do his typical postgame interview with the press.
