2023 Free Agency/UFA Targets

[norrisnick]

Yeah, not really. Take off those rose colored glasses my dude. Zadina's stick is where plays go to die in the offensive zone. He puts in effort on the backcheck, sure, but he's still not that great at disrupting passing lanes or locking up the opposition. He does a lot of chasing that's for sure. These are also reasons why I don't think Zadina should be on the PK.

Point blank, Zadina is about as vanilla as a hockey player can get. Not a single standout trait. He's essentially a poor man's Sam Gagner.

Even if we take your scouting report as the gospel (which would be dumb because you are unwilling if not actually incapable of identifying anything that Zadina does as a positive) that is perfectly fine in a middle/bottom 6 role at $1.8M. You need to reset your expectations here. He's not pulling in $6M+. He makes warm body money and gets top shelf criticism. It's insane.

 

[OgeeOgelthorpe]

Even if we take your scouting report as the gospel (which would be dumb because you are unwilling if not actually incapable of identifying anything that Zadina does as a positive) that is perfectly fine in a middle/bottom 6 role at $1.8M. You need to reset your expectations here. He's not pulling in $6M+. He makes warm body money and gets top shelf criticism. It's insane.

I would much rather spend 2.5 to 3 million for someone that brings more positives.

This team needs actual difference makers and good depth players, not more warm bodies. Zadina is a warm body.

 

[Run the Jewels]

I was a big fan of Dumba as a prospect and then his first few years in the league.

But look at how many games he has missed over the last 5 years, and look at his possession numbers over the last 3 years. He has 9 assists in 61 games this year. That is not the guy I remember.

Minnesota only has 182 GF, isn't that where offense goes to die?

 

[norrisnick]

I would much rather spend 2.5 to 3 million for someone that brings more positives.

This team needs actual difference makers and good depth players, not more warm bodies. Zadina is a warm body.

It's a fool's errand to think you're going to spend $2.5-3M on a difference maker. You're just paying for a banger that you find more stylistically pleasing but is no more effective at moving the needle towards winning hockey.

Pius Suter is a better and more effective hockey player than Jordan Greenway.

 

[Frk It]

Minnesota only has 182 GF, isn't that where offense goes to die?

Ok but it goes beyond this year. Look at his on-ice numbers over the last 3 seasons. Look at how many games he has missed the last 5 seasons.

Why is he not being used more on the power play this year?

These are concerning things.

 

[Perfect Human]

Between the fact that Severson has been playing 3rd pair all year and looking at the comments from Devils fans.

I think I am seeing some buyer beware there.. not quite sure if it is to the extent of Chiarot.. but it feels a little similar.

He may need a change of scenery. He is still one of the blue liners left over from the old guard in NJ and I wonder if he feels passed over. He has some really good pedigree and seems to think the game well. I bet he takes a pay cut from the $5.1M aav and if that’s the case, 3-4 years at $3.5M-$4.2M may be the ticket.

 

[Frk It]

He may need a change of scenery. He is still one of the blue liners left over from the old guard in NJ and I wonder if he feels passed over. He has some really good pedigree and seems to think the game well. I bet he takes a pay cut from the $5.1M aav and if that’s the case, 3-4 years at $3.5M-$4.2M may be the ticket.

He had 11 goals and 46 points last year, so I don't know you can count on getting him at a discount. There aren't that many good defenseman hitting the market.

 

[SantosHalper]

"heavy" type

That's the type Red Wings should target in the summer. I don't mind trading Zadina for a one of those or just for a draft pick and sign one instead.

Barbashev is another "heavy" type

Another ex-Blue , more for the merrier. Barbashev could be a backup plan if Red Wings strikes out on Killorn. O'Reilly, Killorn and Mayfield would be a solid haul. Söderblom would have to start in GR, i believe he could take the necessary steps forward in the summer. But it doesn't really hurt him, if he starts the season in GR dominating like Berggren. Injuries will happen and he would be called up first.

Killorn - Larkin - Ray
Ras - O'Rielly - Perron
Kubalik - Copp - Berggren
Fabbri - Kasper - Veleno/Zadina/"heavy type"

4 solid scoring lines

 

[Henkka]

Just some context for this thread but Yzerman will need to take on approximately 10 million in caphits to reach the cap floor for next season.

In real, Yzerman will just need to add one ~4M player instead of one ELC, to meet the cap floor.

With 23-man roster, promoting all our kids up, we are at 58.9M.

Cap Floor will be 61.7M.

So if 800k goes down, and we are at 58.1M with 22-man roster...

...adding 3.6M valued UFA, we are at cap floor (61.7M).

This is the roster we are not gonna use, but need is for 4 million, and cap space it has it 32 million.

 

[SirloinUB]

In real, Yzerman will just need to add one ~4M player instead of one ELC, to meet the cap floor.

With 23-man roster, promoting all our kids up, we are at 58.9M.

Cap Floor will be 61.7M.

So if 800k goes down, and we are at 58.1M with 22-man roster...

...adding 3.6M valued UFA, we are at cap floor (61.7M).

View attachment 664843

This is the roster we are not gonna use, but need is for 4 million, and cap space it has it 32 million.

Technically? Sure? In reality? No.

Cznarnik, Hirose, hanas, Sebrango, Cossa and probably 1 of those other 4 rookies wont be on the roster. Which then takes that number back up to 8.8M needed to hit the floor.

 

[OgeeOgelthorpe]

Technically? Sure? In reality? No.

Cznarnik, Hirose, hanas, Sebrango, Cossa and probably 1 of those other 4 rookies wont be on the roster. Which then takes that number back up to 8.8M needed to hit the floor.

Part of me would be super shocked if Detroit was scraping the cap floor next year.

Another part of me would not be. I hope we're closer to the ceiling than the floor because you get what you pay for in this league. I can't think of any examples of a team being 15% or more below the cap ceiling that have gone on to the postseason.

 

[StargateSG1]

Part of me would be super shocked if Detroit was scraping the cap floor next year.

Another part of me would not be. I hope we're closer to the ceiling than the floor because you get what you pay for in this league. I can't think of any examples of a team being 15% or more below the cap ceiling that have gone on to the postseason.

I highly doubt Ilitch has any desire to spend anywhere close to the ceiling next season.

 

[SirloinUB]

Part of me would be super shocked if Detroit was scraping the cap floor next year.

Another part of me would not be. I hope we're closer to the ceiling than the floor because you get what you pay for in this league. I can't think of any examples of a team being 15% or more below the cap ceiling that have gone on to the postseason.

Also don't forget that we could not have (easily) traded Hronek and Bert for 1sts had we not gotten well above the cap floor last summer. Yzerman would have had to take back cap dumps (which is okay) but complicates the situation and likely eliminates possibilities. For example, did Boston even have 4.75 million in cap dumps they wanted to get rid of?

 

[Henkka]

Part of me would be super shocked if Detroit was scraping the cap floor next year.

Another part of me would not be. I hope we're closer to the ceiling than the floor because you get what you pay for in this league. I can't think of any examples of a team being 15% or more below the cap ceiling that have gone on to the postseason.

In real salaries, this 2022-23 season team was 61-62M team. Now with Bertuzzi and Hronek gone, it's valued 10M less. I didn't count any more value for Vrana, than ELC valued other player.

For next season, team is currently valued for 47-48M, with 15 players. You could add 8 players for 4M each, and reach 80M valued roster. He have 3.5M in dead cap weight, and there we are, against the 83.5M cap.

4M Center (Suter-spot)
4M winger (Erne-spot)
4M Center (Veleno-spot) - Veleno will be extended for less than 1.5M, so here's 2.5M free space for another position.
4M Winger (Chiasson-spot)
4M RH Defenceman (Oesterle Spot)
4M RH Defenceman (Lindström-spot) - Lindström will be extended for less than 1.5M, so here's 2.5M free space for another position.
4M Defenceman (for Hägg spot)
4M backup goalie - in real, someone will be signed for proably half, so here's 2M free cap space for another position.
-----------
Total 32.0M and we would be just under the cap.

After those extra savings, maybe we will sign:

6.5M Center (Ryan O'Reilly?)
6M winger (Bertuzzi back?)
1.5M Center (Veleno)
4M Center/winger (Ross Colton?)
3.5M defenceman (Scott Mayfield?)
2.5M defenceman (Justin Holl?)
1.5M Defenceman (Lindströrm)
2M backup goalie (Semyon Varlamov?)
--------
Total 27.5M

Think Yzerman is gonna save ~4M in cap space for ELC bonuses. Who knows if Seider could win Norris or Raymond having a great year. You take no risk to have those sliding to future years, at same time as they are getting extentions.

 

[jkutswings]

This roster has more than enough middle of the lineup guys. Empty a bunch of those stockpiled draft picks and go after a fish big enough to push nearly every forward down the lineup.

Pry Lindholm out of Calgary. Or better still, steal Rob Thomas from the Blues. Really shake things up to add some punch to this offense.

Then add Edvinsson and a BTL* defenseman and you're in pretty good shape.


*Better Than Lindstrom

 

[LeighDx59]

I would look at O'Reilly for sure if he makes it to Free Agency, he isnt like he's at his prime, but he could be a solid stopgap down the middle, and I cant see him commanding a massive long term contract giving this past season.

 

[Reddwit]

Sign Barbashev, Dumba, and Klingberg.
Dump one of Oesterle and Lindstrom when possible. Hell, go after Vince Dunn too.

I don’t really see Dumba as an Yzerman style defenseman. In fact, I’ve always considered Dumba to be something of a Hronek comparable, at least in his younger days, and Hronek was ultimately traded cause Yzerman didn’t want to re-sign him at what he’d cost ($6M+) and the price was right. But if Dumba were to come in at a more reasonable price (his offense is way down past 3 years), I guess I could see it happening.

Klingberg has sucked ass this year but I still wouldn’t mind signing him to be a bottom pairing pp specialist.

 

[Reddwit]

Between the fact that Severson has been playing 3rd pair all year and looking at the comments from Devils fans.

I think I am seeing some buyer beware there.. not quite sure if it is to the extent of Chiarot.. but it feels a little similar.

Yeah, Severson has a lot of warts. Unfortunately, that didn’t deter Yzerman from Chiarot.

 

[TheOctopusKid]

I don't think the RD is as bad as most people are predicting, but I'm a big AlJo fan so I have a sneaking suspicion that both him and Ed are rounding out the 3rd pair. Leaving a very interesting Maatta - Chairot 2nd pair.

All that to be said, our LW is a hot disaster now that Bert and Vrana are both gone basically totally decimating that side of our lineup in the Top 6.

All of that is to be said that if Yzerman does do something here, it's not going to be a big splash in UFA. I could see a 3yr bridge deal to Killhorn as many as suggested, and sliding him over to the LW on the Top line besides Larkin and Raymond. Moving Berggren up to the 2nd besides Copp and Perron, sliding Ras to the 3rd either centering or playing wing next to Veleno/Fabbri, with some combination of Soda, Zadina, Kubalik rounding out the bottom.

That is literally the ...less disruptive lineup he could pull out. Literally no waves.

I do believe that he will make a push for a big name Top 6 player (CGY, VAN, FLA, etc.) to add a significant piece in the Top 6 which makes much of the rest of this moot.

All of that to be said for the UFA Prediction:

Killhorn for a Top6 LW
A Depth D Resign Oesterle/Lindstrom
Cam Talbot to play 40/60 share with Husso

 

[PelagicJoe]

We do need some people to replace Bert and Vrana, preferably ones that can score.

 

[Macoun]

I don't think the RD is as bad as most people are predicting, but I'm a big AlJo fan so I have a sneaking suspicion that both him and Ed are rounding out the 3rd pair. Leaving a very interesting Maatta - Chairot 2nd pair.

All that to be said, our LW is a hot disaster now that Bert and Vrana are both gone basically totally decimating that side of our lineup in the Top 6.

All of that is to be said that if Yzerman does do something here, it's not going to be a big splash in UFA. I could see a 3yr bridge deal to Killhorn as many as suggested, and sliding him over to the LW on the Top line besides Larkin and Raymond. Moving Berggren up to the 2nd besides Copp and Perron, sliding Ras to the 3rd either centering or playing wing next to Veleno/Fabbri, with some combination of Soda, Zadina, Kubalik rounding out the bottom.

That is literally the ...less disruptive lineup he could pull out. Literally no waves.

I do believe that he will make a push for a big name Top 6 player (CGY, VAN, FLA, etc.) to add a significant piece in the Top 6 which makes much of the rest of this moot.

All of that to be said for the UFA Prediction:

Killhorn for a Top6 LW
A Depth D Resign Oesterle/Lindstrom
Cam Talbot to play 40/60 share with Husso

Why would we re-sign either one of those guys that can’t even crack our top six all season? Even with hronek gone, Lalonde doesn’t want to play them.

 

[WingsToPick4th]

Sign RD Mayfield/Severson to replace Hronek
Sign C Domi to replace Suter
Sign Killorn & Tarasenko to replace Vrana/Bert

Tarasenko - Larkin - Raymond
Killorn - Domi - Perron
Rasmussen - Copp - Berggren
Soderblom - Veleno/Kasper - Kubalik

Walman - Seider
Edvinsson - Mayfield
Maatta - Chiarot

 

[DanielMarois]

Barbashev was such an under the radar trade this year, had 60 pts last year and now has 5 pts in 5 games with the Knights playing 19-20 mins a game. I'd be thrilled if the Wings signed him

 

[Ed Ned and Leddy]

Who are we eyeing for backup G this summer?

UFA Bernier is interesting, but I’m not sure what to expect after his hip injury. Staying in NJ, Blackwood feels like an option.

 

[SirloinUB]

Sign RD Mayfield/Severson to replace Hronek
Sign C Domi to replace Suter
Sign Killorn & Tarasenko to replace Vrana/Bert

Tarasenko - Larkin - Raymond
Killorn - Domi - Perron
Rasmussen - Copp - Berggren
Soderblom - Veleno/Kasper - Kubalik

Walman - Seider
Edvinsson - Mayfield
Maatta - Chiarot

I'm not a fan of Domi. Would rather bring Suter back tbh. The rest looks good though.