The Detroit Red Wings are one of the most historic franchises in NHL history. Their 11 Stanley Cups are third all-time in NHL history and the most of any American team. They have five more Stanley Cup victories to their name than the next American team on the list.
The team had one of the most sustained runs of successful hockey in league history, making the Stanley Cup playoffs 25 years in a row from 1990-91 to 2015-16. During that time, the Wings won four Stanley Cup championships in six Finals appearances.
However, Detroit has fallen on hard times in recent years. They have missed the playoffs the last six years. In the postponed 2019-20 season, the Red Wings finished with just 17 wins and 49 points. It was one of the worst teams statistically in modern NHL history.
These days, the Red Wings have cause for hope. Team legend Steve Yzerman returned after a spell with the Tampa Bay Lightning to become the new general manager. Two of Yzerman's top draft picks, Lucas Raymond and Mortiz Seider, progressed quickly and have made an impact at the NHL level.
There are more exciting young players on the way. Still, more needs to be done if the team wants to return to the playoffs. And these three moves can vault Detroit back into the playoff hunt.
3 insane moves Red Wings must make to return to Stanley Cup playoffs
1) Hire Barry Trotz
This is an idea that has been floated before, but it's an idea that makes a lot of sense. Trotz was recently let go by the New York Islanders after one disappointing season. However, the 59-year-old bench boss found a level of success on Long Island.
Trotz made the postseason three straight years before last year's disappointment. In two of those years, Trotz led the Islanders to the Eastern Conference Final, where they ran into the dynastic Lightning. Trotz lost out to a team built in large part by Yzerman.
Despite the losses to Tampa, he brought a level of success to the Islanders the team hadn't seen in a long time. Before those two matchups against the Lightning, the last time the Islanders made the conference finals was 1992-93.
Trotz also has a Stanley Cup to his resume. A cup he won with the Washington Capitals, a team that last made it to the Finals in 1998-99 when they lost to the Red Wings in a four-game sweep.
He has taken over teams that have reached high levels of play in the past and either took them back to those levels or helped them play to an even higher level and achieve more.
Trotz's coaching style also fits what Detroit currently needs. The Red Wings' biggest flaw right now is their defense. Besides Seider and Filip Hronek, the Wings carry little in the way of capable options on the blueline. It's a match made in heaven.
2) Acquire a quality left-handed defenseman
Speaking of their defensive woes, Detroit has room to add a defenseman on either side, but especially on the left-hand side. They need a quality defenseman on the left-hand side to pair with Seider, and they need to get one this offseason.
Now, one of Detroit's top prospects is a left-handed defenseman, 2021 first-round pick Simon Edvinsson. However, he hasn't played an NHL game yet. And the Red Wings need an experienced blueliner to help these two younger core players along.
As mentioned, Detroit's defense was abysmal. They allowed the second-most goals against per game and allowed the fourth-most expected goals per 60 minutes in the league last year.
There are a few options at Yzerman's disposal. They could go after a pair of former teammates in Olli Maatta and Ian Cole. Maatta and Cole are two-time Stanley Cup champions.
Maatta is more of a defensive player who can help stabilize the backend. Cole is also a defense-first blueliner but is also an Ann Arbor, Michigan native. Both of these guys could find work with teams in a better position to contend sooner than Detroit.
If that's the case, Detroit could continue looking at the free-agent market or look towards a trade. 36-year-old Alex Edler, a current teammate of Maatta's on the Los Angeles Kings, could be available to the Wings through free agency.
On the trade front, Detroit could go for Montreal's Jeff Petry, who the team is reportedly interested in. They could also try a shocking move for Arizona's Jakob Chychrun, although the price tag may be too steep for Detroit.
The bottom line is that a top priority for the Wings should be to grab a quality left-handed defenseman to provide support for not only their younger defensemen but also their goaltenders.
3) Sign Filip Forsberg
Detroit also needs a legit top-line forward, and there is no player available to the Red Wings this summer that fits the bill more than Filip Forsberg.
Older Red Wings fans may do a double-take at the last name, but Filip is of no relation to Colorado Avalanche legend Peter Forsberg. Filip is coming off of a career year in which he scored 42 goals and recorded 84 points for the Nashville Predators.
The 27-year-old could leave the Predators after negotiations on a new contract stalled after the trade deadline. He could command north of $8 million on any new contract he signs.
The Red Wings look to have around $21M in cap space when free agency begins. However, they aren't title contenders, so why would they open the checkbooks for someone like Forsberg? Well, why wouldn't they?
Top-line forwards don't grow on trees in the NHL. Detroit is not as far away from contention as they have been in the past. They even held a playoff spot in the first half of the season before a second-half collapse.
Adding Forsberg to a lineup that includes Raymond, Dylan Larkin, Jakub Vrana, and Tyler Bertuzzi gives Detroit an offensive punch that would give other teams fits. This move secures a quality goal-scorer who is in his prime, doesn't disrupt their ability to spend in the future, and helps the team in their quest toward Stanley Cup playoff contention once again.
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