The Detroit Red Wings' offseason checklist

As for Vrana, he was the key piece coming back in the deadline deal that saw Anthony Mantha head to Washington.  While the 25-year-old underwhelmed with the Capitals, that changed following the move.  His playing time jumped by nearly three minutes a night while he produced at a point-per-game pace, collecting eight goals and three assists in 11 games.  That’s certainly a small sample size, and no one should be expecting that to continue, but it pushed his numbers to a level comparable to his career year in 2019-20 once you extrapolate for the shortened season.  His qualifying offer is actually a bit lower than his AAV based on the structure of the deal, but Vrana will certainly earn more than the $3M they’re required to offer.  He’s two years away from unrestricted free agency, so the two sides could agree to a one-year pact that allows for more evaluation while keeping him RFA-eligible after that.  Alternatively, if Yzerman feels that Vrana is a top-six fixture for the foreseeable future, a long-term contract now would make sense.

Add a starting goalie

Goaltending has been an issue for the Red Wings for several years now.  Jimmy Howard had a good run as a starter, but by the end of his playing days, he wasn’t a legitimate starter.  Jonathan Bernier has done relatively well considering the weaker team in front of him, but he isn’t a No. 1 either.  Neither is Thomas Greiss, whom they signed in free agency last offseason.  That allowed them to basically run a platoon of decent veterans, which was fine for a season when they weren’t opting to contend, but it hasn’t exactly set up them for their post-rebuild either.

Last year, it was Howard’s free agency that created an opening between the crease and this time, it’s Bernier in that situation.  He seemed like a probable candidate to move at the trade deadline, but there wasn’t much of a market and he wound up staying put.  Now, Yzerman has to decide whether or not he wants to keep Bernier and run with the platoon again or look to try to bring in more of a long-term piece.  If the expectation is that they won’t be a playoff contender next year, keeping the status quo would make some sense in principle while allowing them the ability to potentially trade a rental a year from now. (Greiss will be in the final year of his contract in 21-22.)

However, a starting goalie isn’t something a team should be searching for on an annual basis.  At some point, a more permanent solution needs to be brought in, and it’s probably not coming from their prospect pool.  It’s not a great year for proven starters in free agency, but there are upgrades available there while the looking Seattle expansion could result in some more activity on the trade market than usual.  Yzerman will need to determine if this is the time to make a goalie splash or punt on the decision for another year.

Add top-six forwards

The list of teams that scored fewer goals than Detroit this season begins with Anaheim and also ends with Anaheim.  With Bertuzzi, Vrana and Dylan Larkin, they have three capable top-six forwards, but the depth starts to slide after that.  Filip Zadina has some upside still and Robby Fabbri was quietly productive in limited action, but they’re not ready to be top-six players on a contender just yet.

To help get them to playoff contender status, they need to bring in multiple players who can play in the top six, preferably a winger and a center.  The good news is that there are quality UFA wingers available who may require an overpayment in terms of money to bring in.  But they have ample cap space and can afford to overpay to maintain their prospect and draft pick capital.  The bad news is that the same can’t be said for centers.  Filling that void will require some creativity.

Last offseason, the Red Wings used their cap space to take on Staal and add a second-round pick for their troubles.  A similar approach could be taken here to both improve their roster as well as keep adding to their stockpile for the future.  Yzerman has built up the forward depth since taking over in Detroit, and now it’s getting closer to being time to make a bigger splash.  This summer, one that should have a lot of player movement, looks like a good place to start improving on that front.