The Detroit Red Wings failed to make the playoffs this season and could make some changes to their roster this offseason.
Detroit will look to add more talent to its roster this offseason at forward, defense, and goaltending. With that, some players won’t be brought back, and NHL analyst Max Bultman of The Athletic named one Red Wings defenseman who likely won’t return.
“(William) Lagesson got into only seven games for the Red Wings this year,” Bultman wrote. “While teams always need good pros to fill out a roster, it’s hard to see him coming back after such limited usage. Especially if summer additions push Gustafsson and/or Holl into more of a depth role already.”
Lagesson signed a one-year, $775,000 deal with the Red Wings this past offseason and was a depth defenseman. Yet, after the Swede wasn’t used much, both sides may decide to part ways with one another.
Lagesson skated in 7 games, recording 1 assist. In his NHL career, the 29-year-old has played in 107 games, recording 0 goals and 12 assists. If he isn’t brought back to Detroit, he could try to sign with a team where he thinks he can be an everyday defenseman.
Red Wings GM Open to Being Aggressive in The Offseason
Detroit failed to make the playoffs for the ninth straight season.
After the disappointing season, Red Wings general manager Steve Yzerman says he’s open to being aggressive. Yzerman says if a deal makes sense, he will pursue the top names on the market.
“We’ve kind of felt that all along, we’re going to look at any good player. Any player that can help us in any role. If there’s a player worthy of spending whatever amount on, that has an interest in playing in Detroit and fits a need for us, absolutely we would try to do that,” Yzerman said at his year-end press conference. “We’re in a different stage than we were maybe five years ago in that we have a good young nucleus of players. And if we can add to that with a prominent free agent, we’d certainly entertain that.”
Detroit could spend big on a forward, defenseman, or goalie, as all three positions could be upgraded. With that, the Red Wings could be a team to watch this offseason.
Detroit enters the offseason with over $21 million in cap space.
2 Other Defensemen Red Wings Could Part Ways With
Although Bultman says Lagesson is gone, he has two other defensemen that the Red Wings could part ways with.
Bultman named Justin Holl a toss-up on whether he’d return.
“His cap hit at $3.4 million is large for a third-pair defenseman taking sheltered matchups, though, and a buyout would cost Detroit only $1.13 million for each of the next two years, so that puts him into the toss-up category,” Bultman wrote about Holl.
He then said Jeff Petry is a possible farewell in his article.
“Petry is a UFA, but he said he intends to play another season. And if Detroit keeps Holl, it’s hard to see the Red Wings keeping Petry, too. But if the Red Wings were to move on from Holl, it’s easier to envision Petry returning on a cheap, one-year deal as a depth defender with size on the right side,” Bultman added.
Ultimately, the Red Wings’ blue line could look much different next season,
Analyst Names Red Wings Defenseman Who Won’t Return Next Season