The Detroit Red Wings are expected to be aggressive this offseason, and one prediction has them signing a star defenseman.
The website PuckGM allows users to create trades and signings, and one user predicts the Red Wings will sign Ivan Provorov to a seven-year, $56 million deal.
The deal would pay Provorov $8 million per season, which seems like a fair amount for the defenseman. DailyFaceoff projects Provorov to sign a seven-year deal worth $7 million per season, so this is slightly more than projected.
Provorov would be a top-four defenseman with the Red Wings and help solidify the bullpen. He completed the final year of his six-year, $40.5 million deal with the Columbus Blue Jackets
Last season, Provorov recorded 7 goals and 26 assists for 33 points in 82 games. The 28-year-old Russian could play with Moritz Seider on the left side. Or be the second-pairing left-shot defenseman on the blue line.
Red Wings Enter Offseason With Plenty of Cap Space
Detroit failed to make the playoffs for the ninth straight season and could look to make some major changes to its roster this offseason.
The Red Wings enter the offseason with just over $21.3 million in cap space, which allows them to go after some marquee players. General manager Steve Yzerman says they are open to signing prominent free agents.
“We’ve kind of felt that all along, we’re going to look at any good player,” Yzerman said at his year-end press conference. “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. “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.”
Provorov would be one of the more prominent free agents, so he could be a logical fit for Detroit.
The Red Wings also have a need on the blue line as Jeff Petry will likely not be brought back, while Detroit could move on from William Lagesson and could buy out Justin Holl.
Red Wings Disappointed After Not Making Playoffs
Detroit missed the playoffs again, which was their ninth-straight season of missing the playoffs.
The Red Wings had a goal of making the playoffs, so Yzerman was disappointed they missed the postseason.
“At the start of the year, we felt we could compete for a playoff spot,” Yzerman said. “Once again, when we made the coaching change, I was asked that same question. And we felt even though where we were in the standings, that we could compete for a playoff spot. And ultimately, we did compete for a playoff spot. We did not obviously make the playoffs, which is a disappointment for us all.”
The Red Wings made a coaching change mid-season, and Yzerman feels confident with Todd McLellan going forward. But Yzerman feels confident with the group he’s assembled.
“We’re building a nucleus of a good team with the idea that this team is going to win,” Yzerman added.
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