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The Detroit Red Wings are in the midst of another long offseason after a ninth consecutive campaign without a playoff appearance — and general manager Steve Yzerman could be mulling some significant changes.
That includes potentially buying out a couple of veterans in forward Vladimir Tarasenko and defenseman Erik Gustafsson, as Detroit Hockey Now's Kevin Allen speculated on Wednesday.
“The Red Wings have more than $20 million in cap space to improve that offense, but it also seems plausible they might also buy out Tarasenko as part of an offensive facelift,” wrote Allen. “They need roster spots to bring about change.”
After winning his second Stanley Cup with the Florida Panthers in 2024, Tarasenko signed a two-year, $9.5 million contract with the Wings last summer. He proceeded to have one of the worst offensive seasons of his career, managing just 11 goals and 33 points in 80 games.
“I think Tarasenko’s play was better probably than his production,” Yzerman said at the end of the season. “I would say he was frustrated not being able to produce, and I think that affected his attitude and affected his play.”
The executive continued: “You try to reassure him that you’re doing a lot of good things out there and don’t let the missed chances or the inability to score affect your play. I’m hopeful and expecting him to give us more than he did this year because I know we can. I believe he can give us more than what he showed this year.”
It's certainly possible that Yzerman and the front office will see if Tarasenko can have a bounce-back year in 2025-26 rather than going the buyout route. But at 33 years old, there's no guarantee that will happen.
Red Wings needed more from Tarasenko, Gustafsson in 2024-25
As for Gustafsson, he had a tough start to the season but began to turn his game around in the second half. He finished the year with just two goals and 18 points in 60 games. He didn't get a ton of exposure on the power play with Moritz Seider spending most of the campaign quarterbacking the top unit.
The 33-year-old thrives with the man advantage. His breakout campaign came in 2018-19 with the Chicago Blackhawks, when he amassed 60 points in 79 games.
Yzerman did say that when Gustafsson was injured, “we felt we missed him; we missed his mobility, his skating.” With one year remaining on his pact at $2 million, it seems like a toss-up as to whether Detroit retains the Swedish blue liner or allows him to get a fresh start elsewhere.
Tarasenko could return in a top-nine role, although he won't get to play on the top power-play unit. The Russian still has enough skill to play PP1 on a weaker team, and that could end up being a reality in 2025-26 if he is bought out.
Whether or not Gustafsson and Tarasenko remain on the roster come October, changes will be coming for the Red Wings this summer. It'll be interesting to see if Detroit will have the juice to finally break the postseason drought next spring.
