The Red Wings have a new bench boss in Derek Lalonde. Lalonde has a young talented core and prospect pool to work with in his opportunity as an NHL head coach.
While the Red Wings are stocked with young talent, the team lacks depth. While Steve Yzerman has done an excellent job of bringing in different players to protect and teach the organizations young players to be professionals; it is time to bring in difference makers. This year’s free agent market boasts a plethora of high-end talent like Johnny Gaudreau, Nazem Kadri, Filip Forsberg, Evgeni Malkin, Kris Letang, and John Klingberg to name a few.
The next phase of the “Yzerplan” is ready to commence. Adding players that can score to enhance the production of Raymond, Larkin, and Bertuzzi should be a priority as well as adding depth pieces around the line-up to propel the team to the next level.
The Red Wings of old were the framework for building a consistent playoff contender. During their extraordinary playoff streak, they ran four lines. It is not surprise that as we watched Tampa Bay make deals the last few seasons to build their depth after drafting most of their top-six.
Let’s take a look at some potential signings that can propel the Red Wings into the playoffs next season.