After the Detroit Red Wings failed to make the playoffs again, one insider expects them to be aggressive in the offseason.
Detroit failed to make the playoffs for the ninth-straight season, and NHL insider Max Bultman of The Athletic expects general manager Steve Yzerman to be aggressive in the offseason. Bultman believes Detroit will pursue some impact forwards, and he believes they should look at signing Vancouver Canucks sniper Brock Boeser.
“This one probably goes without saying, as Detroit’s playoff drought stretches to nine years while Larkin approaches his 29th birthday and DeBrincat is now within two years of unrestricted free agency,” Bultman wrote. “But we’ll say it anyway: the Red Wings can’t afford to let this drought continue to drag…
“Certainly, there are some free agent forwards to consider as well, whether it’s Mitch Marner, Sam Bennett, Brad Marchand, Brock Boeser or Nikolaj Ehlers, or perhaps someone else via a trade. They may only be able to make a truly big swing at one position,” Bultman added. “But whether it’s one of those players or someone else, what the Red Wings can’t do is just run this back and expect internal improvements to take care of everything. This team needs more of a jolt than that.”
Boeser is in the final year of his three-year, $19.95 million deal with the Canucks and will be looking for a long-term deal. He recorded 25 goals and 25 assists for 50 points in 75 games. His career high is 40 goals, which he recorded a year ago.
Boeser Unlikely to Return to Canucks
Boeser has been a member of the Canucks since he was selected 23rd overall in the 2015 NHL Draft.
However, ahead of free agency, Boeser admits it’s unlikely he will re-sign with the Canucks.
“Honestly, it’s unlikely at this point,” Boeser said to Sportsnet. “It sucks, it’s unfortunate. I’m just trying to play good hockey, and then I’ll worry about everything after that. We all know it’s been a roller coaster of a year. There’s been a lot of different things.”
Boeser struggled at times this season, as did many players on Vancouver which led to them missing the playoffs.
“It hurts. We wanted to be in the playoffs again so bad,” Boeser said. “If you get in, you never know what can happen. We were playing some good hockey when we had everyone in the lineup, and then we ran into more injury problems. We’ve had the distractions this year and injuries throughout the lineup all year. Yeah, it’s been a rough year. But there’s no excuses; we didn’t win hockey games when we were supposed to.”
Boeser is a two-time NHL All-Star.
Red Wings Players Impressed With New Coach
Detroit fired Derek Lalonde mid-season and replaced him with Todd McLellan.
The Red Wings played much better down the stretch with McLellan as the coach. With that, Red Wings captain Dylan Larkin believes the team will be better next season with a full season of McLellan.
“Todd is really detailed,” Larkin said. “Very impressed by him. He’s a really good coach, so having him and having Training Camp with him…he knows what it takes to win in this League. I’m sure everyone’s meetings here in the next couple days will be very important. You take that information, go home and come back with a good attitude.”
Detroit finished the year with a record of 39-35-8.
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