With the offseason underway for a number of teams, and the remainder to join them in a few weeks, we're looking at what's in store for each club in the coming months.
2016-17 Grade: D
It's tough to fault the Red Wings for a disappointing season that saw their illustrious playoff streak end at 25 years. After all, this felt like an inevitability following two consecutive seasons squeaking into the dance.
An old roster, without Pavel Datsyuk this time around, simply wasn't competitive, ranking 26th in goals for (198), 26th in goals against (244), and 27th in power-play efficiency (15.1 percent).
As the era of Little Caesars Arena begins, an unprecedented era of dominance concludes with several questions at the forefront for general manager Ken Holland.
Free Agents
The Red Wings began to unload assets at the trade deadline, but despite accumulating draft picks, numerous cap-strapping contracts hinder Detroit's salary flexibility.
| Player (Position) | 2017-18 Status | Age | 2016-17 Cap Hit | '16-17 Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tomas Tatar (F) | RFA | 26 | $2.75M | 46 |
| Drew Miller (F) | UFA | 33 | $1.025M | 7 |
| Andreas Athanasiou (F) | RFA | 22 | $628K | 29 |
| Xavier Ouellet (D) | RFA | 23 | $715K | 12 |
Holland will surely retain Tatar, Athanasiou, and Ouellet. Miller, on the other hand, your time has come.
2017 Draft Picks
Detroit was apparently one lottery ball number from selecting No. 1 overall. Imagine that - earning the top pick as a reward for missing the playoffs for the first time in a quarter century.
Alas, here's how Detroit stacks up for June's entry draft.
| Round | Picks |
|---|---|
| 1 | 1 (9th overall) |
| 2 | 1 |
| 3 | 4 (CHI+FLA+NYR+TOR) |
| 4 | 1 |
| 5 | 1 |
| 6 | Own+FLA |
| 7 | 1 |
Summer Priorities
Commit to the rebuild
Holland is of the opinion that a re-tool is a viable solution going forward. He doesn't believe in tanking. He believes in accountability and development - a recipe that must be tough to stray from considering his list of accomplishments.
However, a full-blown rebuild is the only option going forward. With so many draft picks, Holland and Red Wings brass needs to use its scouting expertise to find their next crop of stars, the way they did with Datsyuk and Henrik Zetterberg, as well as Nicklas Lidstrom and Sergei Fedorov before them.
The draft holds no guarantees, but it's any team's best chance. Detroit needs to utilize it.
Dump salary
A re-tool via free agency would be much easier if Holland didn't dig the Red Wings a hole to the depths of salary cap hell.
Here's a look at some of the constricting contracts weighing Detroit down.
| Player | Age | Cap Hit | Contract Expires | 2016-17 Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Zetterberg | 36 | $6.083M | 2021 | 68 |
| Frans Nielsen | 33 | $5.25M | 2022 | 41 |
| Justin Abdelkader | 30 | $4.25M | 2023 | 21 |
| Darren Helm | 30 | $3.85M | 2021 | 17 |
| Niklas Kronwall | 36 | $4.75M | 2019 | 13 |
Zetterberg, a Red Wings legend, will close out his career with the "C" above his winged wheel, and Kronwall likely isn't going anywhere either.
The others, however, should be shipped immediately to anyone willing to take on their fees, though that may prove much easier said than done.
Move Jimmy Howard
Whether it's via expansion draft or trade, the time is now for Detroit to move on from Howard.
He had a strong season before being injured (again), but handing the crease to the younger, cheaper Petr Mrazek makes the most sense.
2017-18 Outlook
It's a changing of the guard in Motown, and life outside the playoffs could very well be the new norm in Detroit for a while.
The Red Wings should use 2017-18 as an evaluative season rather than setting any unrealistic expectations, as much as that may bother the boss.
Frankly, Detroit still has some promising pieces in its core in Larkin, Athanasiou, and Anthony Mantha, as well as plenty developing prospects patrolling the AHL in Evgeny Svechnikov, Martin Frk, Tomas Nosek, and Tyler Bertuzzi.
Taking advantage of the draft, infusing new youth to the lineup and shedding salary should be at the top of Detroit's to-do list next season.
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