The Red Wings "targeted specific needs" in free agency, GM Steve Yzerman said Monday, "and we were able to address those." But they've yet to fill their most glaring need.
"We’d like to score more," Yzerman said. "I think that’s the general consensus: Hey, the Red Wings need to score more."
The Wings did add some scoring on the free agent market, but not enough to significantly change their trajectory next season. Center J.T. Compher should help on the heels of posting a career-high 52 points, a breakout that earned him a five-year, $25.5 million contract with Detroit. So should winger Daniel Sprong, who signed for one year and $2 million after scoring a career-high 21 goals. The Wings are also counting on defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere, signed for one year and $4.1 million, to provide offense from the blueline as a proven power-play quarterback.
And big-bodied forwards Klim Kostin, inked to a two-year, $4 million deal after being acquired via trade, and Christian Fischer, on a one-year, $1.1 million deal, will add needed physicality to Detroit's roster.
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As for the scoring? After the Wings scored one goal or fewer in a quarter (20) of their games last season and lost 33 of 35 games when they scored two goals or fewer, Yzerman said he's "counting on the roster that we have now, everybody to chip in a little bit on the offense, which will help us score more."
"Getting (Robby) Fabbri back healthy, Lucas Raymond a year older, Compher coming into the mix and chipping in some goals. Collectively, I expect us to improve a little bit," Yzerman said. "It’s probably still not where we’d all like it to be, so we’ll continue in the offseason here to see what, if anything, (we can do), whether it be through more free agents that are still out there or even looking at potential trades. ... Knowing now where we go from here, we'll explore some other opportunities potentially."
Yzerman added that teams tend to "reevaluate where they are and what they need to do" after the first wave of free agency and "for various reasons might have to make a move." That could re-facilitate conversations on the trade market, where the Wings could resume their search for a proven goal-scorer. (The best scorers left in free agency are Patrick Kane, Vladimir Tarasenko and ex-Red Wing Tomas Tatar, all of whom are on the wrong side of 30 and unlikely to join a team that's still rebuilding in Detroit.)
"Good teams have depth. I think we have some depth. We would all love a couple of big-time scorers. Hopefully we’ll get that. Again, we’ll continue to work at that, and how we go about that is a bit of a challenge," Yzerman said.
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As for the decisions the Wings have already made in free agency, Yzerman said that "on each player, very comfortable with the term of all the contracts we did." Asked specifically about Compher, who hadn't topped 33 points in six seasons with the Avalanche prior to last season and nevertheless reeled in a big-money deal from Detroit, Yzerman said the 28-year-old is a "very good athlete and a good skater" who can handle the NHL grind. He also brings flexibility up front, on top of his Stanley Cup-winning pedigree.
"Anything can happen injury wise, but at this stage, a five-year term is reasonable," Yzerman said. "What I do like is his versatility as a hockey player. He’s a natural right-shot centermen, which we don’t have at this time, who has played all three forward positions, has played on the power play, does kill penalties. I think he’s a very versatile player for us. And again, that ability to move around, to me, makes him very valuable."
Compher's offensive breakthrough last season did come with a bigger role, and a similar one likely awaits him in Detroit. On an Avalanche team riddled by injuries, he finished third among forwards in ice time, behind only Nathan MacKinnon and Mikko Rantanen. Compher's 20:32 per night was more than three minutes higher than his previous career high. He put it to good use.
"Very familiar with his career," said Yzerman. "I’ve watched him all along, and in particular last year where he's in a free agent year and knowing (Colorado's) cap situation, we kept a close eye on him. He played a bigger role there this year, we got to see some of his versatility, and he thrived in that role."
But aside from his right-hand shot, Compher feels rather redundant to Andrew Copp, who signed a five-year, $28 million deal with Detroit last summer. He's a dependable two-way center who only slightly raises the Red Wings' offensive ceiling, which continues to limit the ceiling of their rebuild. While there was rampant speculation surrounding the Wings and Ottawa's Alex DeBrincat at the draft, trade talks between the two teams never got far.
"Mostly at the draft, you’re really focused on the draft. Any potential trades on your mind you might have some discussions, but nothing really (came) close," Yzerman said.
So it's back to the drawing board for Yzerman, with the Red Wings stuck in a franchise-worst seven-year playoff drought. They also used free agency to add another right-shot defenseman in Justin Holl for three years and $10.2 million and a pair of potential backup goalies in James Reimer and Alex Lyon. And as Yzerman noted, "We don’t have many commitments beyond next year, so we got a lot of flexibility to do anything."
"We’re trying to do some planning for the future," he said. "Having said that, the plan changes dramatically from year to year."
But for the Red Wings, the talent looks mostly the same.