The Detroit Red Wings are hoping to compete for a playoff spot next season and should be aggressive in the offseason.
Detroit failed to make the playoffs last season, which was the ninth-straight year. Heading into the offseason, NHL insider Max Bultman of The Athletic urges the Red Wings to trade for Chris Kreider of the New York Rangers.
“Kreider is more realistic, as the Rangers should be motivated to move him with a bit of a cap crunch,” Bultman wrote. “And I could see the logic in taking a chance on him. He still scored 22 goals in a down year last season (though he did have just eight assists, and his underlying numbers were down from past years as well).
“It would be easier if he only had one year left, rather than two, at a $6.5 million cap hit and at 34 years old,” Bultman added. “But there’s the potential for some statistical bounce back, and the acquisition cost would certainly be on the cheaper side. I don’t mind the idea, even though it would come with its share of question marks.”
As Bultman notes, Kreider has two years left on his seven-year, $45.5 million deal with the Rangers. Although he is earning $6.5 million per season, Detroit enters the offseason with over $21 million in cap space, so could make the money work.
With the Red Wings, Kreider could be a top-six forward and add some size and offense to the roster. Last season, he recorded 22 goals and 8 assists for 30 points in 68 games.
Red Wings GM Wants to be Aggressive in Offseason
After Detroit failed to make the playoffs again, Red Wings general manager Steve Yzerman plans to be aggressive in the offseason.
The Red Wings have a core that is mostly locked in. So Yzerman is fine making a splash in free agency or trade.
“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.”
The Red Wings have ample cap room and assets in trades to make a splash and add an impact player like Kreider.
Kreider Wants to Stay With Rangers
Although Bultman links the Red Wings to Kreider, the star forward may not be traded this summer.
Kreider has a 15-team no-trade clause, so he does have some say. The forward has also made it clear he prefers to stay with the Rangers.
“This is home for me,” Kreider said at the end of the season. “This is the organization that gave me an opportunity to live out my dream. I’ve developed so many incredible relationships and grown up and spent so much time in this area. So, obviously, this is where I want to be. This is the group that I want to help in whatever fashion win hockey games.”
Kreider has spent his entire career with the Rangers after being selected 19th overall in 2009.
Insider Links Red Wings to Trading for $45.5 Million Star in Offseason