The Red Wings rebuild is teetering on the rails. In the March Atlantic Division Notebook, we noted the Red Wings had not rebounded up the standings with the same authority as previous cup winners that came out of rebuilds. Their deadline acquisitions did nothing to dramatically change the picture, as they continued their fall from the top of the division mid season to a final resting place outside the playoffs.
Steve Yzerman has assembled a young cohort that has slowly started to find it’s footing in the NHL. There’s a notable lack of Dudes on the roster, though, with only Lucas Raymond and Alex DeBrincat producing near the 2.0 5v5 P/60 mark. Moritz Seider has received plenty of accolades for his defensive play but he hasn’t provided a notable offensive pop, something the Wings seem to be missing from their blueline.
It’s a significant concern that Raymond doesn’t have any running mates in his cohort that are producing at a highly impactful level. Their pipeline isn’t ripe with long term potential either, as the 2022 and 2023 drafts are their highest above baseline. Those drafts look like they’ll produce some NHLers, with Marco Kasper, Nate Danielson, Axel Sandin-Pellika, and Emmitt Finnie having seen some NHL action. The Wings desperately need one or two of them to pop (soon) or they need to look at bolstering the contention cohort in other ways.
There’s a sizable contingent of players exiting their prime on the Red Wings roster and that may be the best place to look for some trade chips this summer. They aren’t close enough to contention that they can empty the prospect cupboards for win now help. It would be better long term if they can find a supplementary player or two from the next few drafts that could contribute on an ELC when the contention cohort is hitting their prime.
If the Red Wings do decide to move a few veterans, there are a large number of modified no-trade clauses that will limit options. Mason Appleton and Michael Rasmussen are the only veterans without trade protection that are under contract for at least one more season. Neither of them is likely to garner a significant trade return, so the Red Wings may have to look at others with trade protection if they want to make a material change to their roster.
