Tampa Bay Lightning Rival Report: Detroit Red Wings

As the NHL off-season moves into August, I’ll be taking a look at what the Tampa Bay Lightning’s Atlantic Division opponents have done thus far in the off-season. Next up, let’s review what the Detroit Red Wings has done.

At this point in the NHL off-season, most teams, including the Tampa Bay Lightning, have already made most of their big moves and look to get ready for the upcoming season. Some teams have traded away their valuable assets for big name players or made a splash in the free agency market, while others have remained relatively quiet during the summer months.

Over the next few weeks, we’ll be taking a look at what the Lightning’s divisional opponents have done in the off-season thus far. There have been some moves within the division as well as blockbuster trades and questionable acquisitions among the eight teams in the Atlantic.

The second team we’ll look at is the Detroit Red Wings and what management has done this offseason after consecutive first-round exits the past three years and four in the past five.

Tampa Bay Lightning

Detroit’s core has been aging for some time and the loss of respected forward Pavel Datsyuk this summer doesn’t help either, but fortunately for the Wings, they have several promising prospects on the way up and some young talent already on the roster, with the likes of Dylan Larkin and Anthony Mantha.

Many have said that the Red Wings are on the decline overall and that they should enter a rebuilding period instead of pushing to keep the playoff streak alive. General Manager Ken Holland continues to be one of the best in the league and has done what he can, but there are some questions he’ll have to address going forward, especially in goal and on defense if he wants to keep the Wings in the conversation as playoff contenders.

In addition, Holland has brought in a few free agents the past couple of years, including forward Frans Nielsen from the New York Islanders this summer, to help keep the Wings in the mix, but will it be enough?

It could be, but if the Red Wings want to make a quick turnaround after a 41 win season (including being only one of two teams to make the playoffs with a negative goal differential – the goaltending and defense should be addressed first) and avoid getting trapped in a cycle of mediocrity for years to come, then more might need to be done.

With all that said, let’s take a look at what Holland and his staff have done so far this off-season to right the ship in Detroit and what they’ve given second-year head coach, Jeff Blashill, to work with this coming season. It should be an interesting year in the Motor City no doubt.

Major Transactions

On June 18, long-time Red Wings forward Pavel Datsyuk announced his retirement after playing 14 seasons in the NHL, all with Detroit. The two-time Stanley Cup champion and four-time Lady Byng Trophy winner (for best sportsmanship) amassed 314 goals and 918 points in 953 regular season games. He ranks sixth in points and seventh in goals all-time in Red Wings history. [Detroit Red Wings]

During the first round of the 2016 NHL Draft in Buffalo, NY, General Manager Ken Holland decided to unload Datsyuk’s $7.5 million cap hit to the Arizona Coyotes and swapped spots in the first round as well as received a second round pick. [Detroit Red Wings]

The Red Wings and forward Drew Miller, brother of Ryan Miller, agreed to terms on a one-year contract extension. Miller has been with the Wings since the 2009-10 season and has compiled 51 goals and 100 points in 449 games with Detroit. Last season, he was sidelined for most of the year because of knee and jaw injuries and was limited to just 28 games. [Detroit Red Wings]

On the first day of free agency, the Red Wings signed forward Frans Nielsen to a lengthy six-year contract. The main justification for this signing is that the team was looking to fill the void that Pavel Datsyuk will leave this coming season and as such, Nielsen has been brought in to help. The 32-year-old Denmark native has played his entire NHL career with the New York Islanders and recorded 119 goals and 349 points in 606 games with New York. [Detroit Red Wings]

The Red Wings also signed forwards Thomas Vanek and Steve Ott on July 1 to add more depth to the roster. Vanek, who has accumulated 316 goals and 649 points in 817 games with four teams, was signed to a one-year contract. Ott, who has played most of his career with the Dallas Stars and recorded 106 goals and 281 points in 13 seasons in the NHL, signed a one-year contract with the Wings.

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Detroit signed forward Darren Helm to a five-year contract and 24-year-old defenseman Alexey Marchenko to a two-year contract. Helm scored 26 points in 77 games last season while Marchenko appeared in 66 games with the Wings last season, recording 11 points in the process. [Detroit Red Wings]

On July 14, the Red Wings signed center Luke Glendening to a four-year contract extension. The 27-year-old Michigan native scored eight goals and 21 points in 2015-16, including one assist in five games during the playoffs last season. [Detroit Red Wings]

In a deal that was expected to get done, the Red Wings re-signed one of their top defenseman, Danny DeKeyser, to a six-year contract on July 26. DeKeyser was primarily used a shutdown blue-liner last season and recorded 20 points in 78 games in 2015-16. Both sides were set to go to arbitration if a deal hadn’t been worked out. [Detroit Red Wings]

More recently, the Red Wings cleared up a bit of the uncertainty in goal by signing net-minder Petr Mrazek to a two-year contract on July 27. The 24-year-old Czech Republic native has played in 94 games with the Wings over the past four seasons, including a career-high 54 games in 2015-16, and has recorded 46 wins and 38 regulation and overtime losses, but has yet to establish himself as the clear number one starter over veteran Jimmy Howard. It’ll be interesting to see how this plays out. [Detroit Red Wings]

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Minor Transactions

May 26 – The Detroit Red Wings acquire winger Dylan Sadowy from the San Jose Sharks for a third-round pick in the 2017 NHL Entry Draft.

May 27 – Red Wings sign center Tomas Nosek to a two-year contract extension.

May 31 – Red Wings sign the newly acquired Sadowy to a three-year, entry-level contract.

June 16 – Detroit offers forward Riley Sheahan to a two-year contract extension and defenseman Brian Lashoff a one-year contract extension. [Detroit Red Wings]

July 1 – Red Wings sign forward Matt Lorito to a two-year contract and signed forward Ben Street and goaltender Edward Pasquale to one-year contracts. [Detroit Red Wings]

July 6 – Red Wings re-sign goaltender Jared Coreau to a two-year contract extension.

July 13 – Detroit re-signs winger Teemu Pulkkinen to a one-year contract.

July 14 – Detroit signs defenseman Filip Hronek to a three-year, entry-level contract.

July 21 – Red Wings re-sign Mitch Callahan to a one-year contract.

Draft

At the 2016 NHL Draft in Buffalo, the Detroit Red Wings made seven selections, including two picks in the second round. Let’s take a look at who the team drafted in June.

1st round – (20th overall) Dennis Cholowski, Defenseman, Chilliwack (BCHL)

2nd round – (46th overall) Givani Smith, Right Wing, Guelph (OHL)

2nd round – (53rd overall) Filip Hronek, Defenseman, Hr. Kralove (CZREP)

4th round – (107th overall) Alfons Malmstrom, Defenseman, Orebro Jr. (Sweden-Jr.)

5th round – (137th overall) Jordan Sambrook, Defenseman, Erie (OHL)

6th round – (167th overall) Filip Larsson, Goaltender, Djurgarden Jr. (Sweden-Jr.)

7th round – (197th overall) Mattias Elfstrom, Left Wing, Malmo Jr. (Sweden-Jr.)

Conclusion

The times in Detroit are uncertain when it comes to the Red Wings and after 25 consecutive playoff appearances, maybe it’s time to step back and retool the roster a bit. But, we’re sure the fans aren’t ready for that to happen just yet. It’s possible that the organization is alright with the state of the team, but with a new arena on the way and new prospects in the pool, the future of the Red Wings may need to be put on the front burner.

This coming season should be an interesting one for the Red Wings and the rest of the division. The two Florida teams are expected to be at the top of the division, while the Wings will likely be competing for third place or a wild card spot, and it won’t get any easier in the years to come. It could be a while before Detroit sees the top of the Atlantic.

Next: Tampa Bay Lightning Rival Report: Florida Panthers

In my next rival report post, I’ll take a look at another divisional opponent and review what that team has done in the off-season thus far.