The Detroit Red Wings are one of the more exciting young teams in the NHL. At 18-12-3, the Red Wings are in first place in the Atlantic Division. The team missed out on getting Quinn Hughes in a trade, but this may be the best for the franchise as they look to make a playoff run and prepare for the future.
Detroit has been solid this year. They are tied for first in the division with 39 points this year. They are 13th in the NHL in goals per game, scoring 3.09 goals per game this year. Detroit has also been great on the powerplay this season. The Wings are converting on 22.3 percent of their man-advantage chances, which places them eighth in the league. Still, they need help on defense. The team is 21st in the NHL in goals-against per game and 18th on the penalty kill.
Acquiring a player like Hughes makes the defense immediately better. He has consistently been one of the top blue line players in expected goals-against when he is on the ice. Further, he can play well on the penalty kill, plus he would add another layer to the offense. The blue line has not given much offensive production this year for the Wings. The top-scoring defenseman is Moritz Seider, who has 22 points. Beyond that, it is Axel Sandin-Pellikka who has 12 points. The Wings do need more production from the blue line, but there are other options out there, beyond mortgaging the future.
Look for lower-cost options
The Red Wings were clearly interested in adding Hughes. The addition to the defense would have been big, but this team is solid and young. At the forward position, they have just four players, 30 or older. They are older on defense, with Ben Chiarot at 34 and Erik Gustafsson at 33. Still, their top defense, Mortiz Seider, is just 24 years old. They are also in an amazing cap situation. The Red Wings currently have $11 million in cap space, which will make a later trade possible. They are projected to have over $40 million in space this summer.
On offense, they have few needs beyond the status quo. James van Riemsdyk and Patrick Kane will both be unrestricted free agents, but they are the two oldest players on the team. Jonathan Berggren is also a restricted free agent. Meanwhile, they have Chiarot, Gustasson, and Travis Hamonic all unrestricted free agents on the blue line, plus Simon Edvinsson and Jacon Bernard-Ducker as restricted free agents. The team currently has flexibility and should look to capitalize on that by bringing in a player who will not mortgage the future.
The team needs help on defense. Rasmus Andersson is said to be available from the Calgary Flames, but will also cost a lot. Still, Brandon Carlo could be available from the Toronto Maple Leafs, and he would be a much lower cost for the Wings. It is also possible that Pavel Mintyukov will be available from the Anaheim Ducks. He will cost more than Carlo, but much less than Hughes. Still, he is a young defender who could help for years.
Rumors are that Seider would have been needed to complete a trade for the Red Wings to get Hughes. Seider should not be traded. He is a top-level defender and young. If the team can pair him with another young defender, it could mean Cups in the future for the team.
The Red Wings need to fix their goaltending
Red Wings general manager Steve Yzerman has already taken a shot at goaltending for the team. The goaltending for the squad has not been good, even though they brought in John Gibson. Gibson is 9-7-1, but has a .890 save percentage and a 3.13 goals agaisnt average. Meanwhile, Cam Talbot is 9-5-2 with a 3.02 goals agaisnt average and a .885 save percentage.
Neither goaltender has numbers that typically get a team into the playoffs. The Wings are currently 21st in the NHL in goals against per game while sitting 26th in save percentage this year. They need to find goaltending help, and there could be options on the market. The Blues are struggling, and a player like Jordan Binnington could be on the market as the trade deadline comes. Binnington has struggled so far this year, with a 3.49 goals-against average and a .869 save percentage. This could drive down the price for the goaltender, who has been better in the past.
There is also the possibility that Juuse Saros is available, given how bad the Predators have been. He just signed a massive new contract, but it is one that the Red Wings could take over without hurting the future. Saros would be a major upgrade. He has a 2.99 goals-against average and a .897 save percentage. Instead of spending on a blueliner, the team could spend less on a goaltender to become a better team.
Detroit can maintain the status quo
There may also be no reason to make any moves. The team just missed the playoffs each of the last two seasons, and also had a solid campaign in 2022-23. Now, as many of the young players have matured and continued to improve, they may be best off sitting back and waiting. Further, the team is in a solid salary cap situation. As noted earlier, there are not a ton of players in the core for the Wings that are facing free agency, but they have a lot of cap space.
This team is a playoff contender, but not likely a Stanley Cup-level team. They could sit pat and work towards next year, while getting some playoff experience this season. There are multiple quality free agents set for this summer. Artemi Panarin is the biggest of the group. He has been a fantastic scoring option for the New York Rangers and is an unrestricted free agent this year. While he is expected to cost over $11 million per year, the Wings have the space to do that.
Alex Tuch is a less expensive option who could make a massive impact. He is projected to cost near $9 million per year, and would immediately change the look of the offense. He could replace a player like Patrick Kane, giving the Red Wings legitimate scoring threats on two lines.
The Wings are in a solid situation. They need to take advantage of the opening window to make a run at the Stanley Cup, but mortgaging the future would not be wise. While it would be nice to grab a player like Hughes, the team was not in the correct position to do so. They could hold pat and continue to improve, without Hughes.
