Detroit — Steve Yzerman went ahead and did it, ready or not. In one slick, stealthy move, he simultaneously made his job easier and tougher. He made the Red Wings a lot more interesting, while also ramping up realistic (and unrealistic) expectations for the rebuild timetable.
We won’t know the full, tangible impact of newly acquired scoring star Alex DeBrincat for several months. But we sure know what it means for the Wings’ perception, and Yzerman’s reputation. Two weeks ago at the draft, Yzerman talked about the halting progress and suggested he wasn’t ready to “really start to go for it.” This may not be the classic “go for it” move, but it’s an impressively shrewd one, and points the Wings in a “go for it” direction.
It’s Yzerman’s biggest move in five seasons as GM, and along with a batch of free-agent signings, should allow playoff talk to rise above a mumbled whisper. Yzerman is touting nothing, but as always, fans shouldn’t misconstrue his guarded words. Many freaked out when they thought he was slow-playing the DeBrincat negotiation, right up until the moment he pulled a fast one.
Does this nudge the Wings into the lead position to break Detroit sports’ nasty playoff drought? I’d still give the edge to the Lions at the moment, and Yzerman isn’t giving any edges when it comes to playoff aspirations.
“I would say I think we’re a better team today with Alex DeBrincat in the lineup,” Yzerman said. “I hope all the changes we’ve made, additions we’ve made, make us a more competitive team.”
Ah, the master of succinct. No matter what Yzerman says, or doesn’t say, this is what DeBrincat’s arrival will do: Turn playoff talk from a 15-minute conversation in late February to a legitimate debate. By accelerating the pace of the rebuild, he’s accelerating the hunger to end the Wings’ seven-season playoff drought.
It should make Derek Lalonde’s job a bit easier, even as the roster upgrades make it tougher for Yzerman to stick tightly to the patience angle. There likely won’t be other big moves between now and the Oct. 12 opener, but the Wings already should be more entertaining and competitive.
Potency … and playoffs?
Will they be pegged as a playoff team by prognosticators? Maybe on the fringe. The Atlantic Division is tough, although heavyweights such as Boston and Tampa Bay could start regressing. The Wings’ 80 points were a sizable 12 points short of the final Eastern Conference wild-card team, Florida.
The Wings now have a potentially explosive top line, if Lalonde opts to put Dylan Larkin, Lucas Raymond and DeBrincat together. Or maybe David Perron slots there and Raymond shifts to a second line centered by Andrew Copp. (Sheesh, Yzerman has us talking hockey lines in July!). With seven free-agent pickups, they’ve added depth and flexibility across four lines and finally have the makings of a dangerous power play. The defense should continue to improve in Lalonde’s second season, and an elite scorer like DeBrincat in his prime (only 25) should enliven an offense that finished 24th in goals per game.
We’ve called for a bold move more than once — from the Pistons and Tigers too — and this one wasn’t for show. Yes, DeBrincat’s a local cat (promise, last time I do it) from Farmington Hills who always seemed like the perfect fit. His size (5-8) and defensive shortcomings were duly noted, and if Yzerman walked away, that would’ve been the justification.
But the deal was too good, and now the opportunity is ripe. Yzerman never has been afraid to deal for the right piece at the right price. Fans have been craving it, even after he signed productive center J.T. Compher, 20-goal scorer Daniel Sprong and experienced defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere, who will provide much-needed help for Moritz Seider.
It wasn’t enough for many, and as it turns out, it wasn’t enough for Yzerman. The Wings were a playoff team for about 24 hours last February, then ran into an Ottawa blitz and crumbled. One of Ottawa’s prime agitators in back-to-back 6-2 and 6-1 wipeouts was DeBrincat, a dynamo who plays bigger than his stature. In some weird cosmic payback, Yzerman was able to shake down Senators GM Pierre Dorion, who lost all leverage when DeBrincat lost interest in playing there.
Yzerman took his time, slowly raising the heat on the Senators, who had no desire to sit on a disgruntled star they’d acquired from Chicago a year ago. He gave up winger Dominik Kubalik, marginal prospect Donovan Sebrango, a fourth-round pick and the lesser of the Wings’ two first-round picks next year. A modest price for a player who scored 41 goals twice with the Blackhawks but dropped to 27 last season. Also relatively modest was the contract — four years at $7.875 million annually, down from DeBrincat’s previous $9 million — which kept the Wings’ salary cap in decent shape.
Adding ‘a sniper’
With all the additions, and expected development from others, the Wings might have the pieces to dig up those 12 points to close the playoff gap. At least it shouldn’t be as tough digging up those key goals.
“There are a limited number of what we actually call goal scorers — the guys that can get it on their stick and any time they shoot it, it looks like it has a chance to go in,” Yzerman said. “I think we’d categorize Alex in that mold, as a sniper. Just one shot can change a game. With our players, you’ve seen at the deadline, myself trading actual hockey players for draft picks, the players have to have people to play with.”
That was the growing concern, that the Wings were collecting lots of touted prospects and decent NHL players, but not many difference-makers. Maybe Larkin or Raymond can become that with DeBrincat attracting defensive attention.
The Wings still need to get more physical, although the trade for 6-3, 215-pound Klim Kostin should help. They desperately need goalie Ville Husso to have a bounce-back season, although the backup situation appears more stable. The Wings are far from a complete team, but they’re much closer to having an actual complete NHL roster, with talented youngsters on the way. If nothing else, the trade-deadline sell-off days should be over.
Yzerman emphasized the intelligence and competitiveness of DeBrincat, who has shown both with a feisty, abrasive style. Tough enough to mix it up, smart enough not to pick the wrong fight.
“(Physical play) is maybe not a huge part of my game, but I try not to back down from anyone,” DeBrincat said. “I think being a smaller forward in the league, sometimes people try to bully you around. I think I can hold my own. Definitely keeps me engaged in the game, but that’s not my main goal.”
His main goal is to be the main goal guy. He knows Larkin well, and along with several Michigan natives on the roster, the main goal is for them to lift each other. All the way to the playoffs? I wouldn’t shout the possibility too loudly, but it deserves more than a whisper.
bob.wojnowski@detroitnews.com
Twitter: @bobwojnowski