How Should the Red Wings Manage their Blue Line Depth?
The Red Wings could have up to nine defensemen on next year's roster depending on free agent moves. In order to balance out their roster construction, they might be forced to move someone out.
Mandatory Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA TODAY Sports - How Should the Red Wings Manage their Blue Line Depth?Last season, the Red Wings’ defensive depth was the envy of other NHL teams. Even if they didn’t have so many top-end talents outside of Moritz Seider, they benefited from many proven NHLers who could deliver in various roles.
Now, that depth is a problem.
No matter the specifics of how they create next year’s blue line, the Red Wings have extra defensemen. They’re set to return Ben Chiarot, Jake Walman, Olli Maatta, and Simon Edvinsson as left-handed blueliners, with Moritz Seider, Jeff Petry and Justin Holl on the right. Meanwhile, Albert Johansson will be on the roster due to waiver eligibility, and general manager Steve Yzerman expressed his desire to keep UFA Shayne Gostisbehere at his end-of-season press conference. That’s eight or nine defensemen, which would force the Red Wings to spend either two or three of their non-lineup roster spots on defensemen.
Someone — maybe even sometwo — has to go.
Who exactly should Detroit move on from? The answer to this question could have big ramifications for next season’s blue line. On the one hand, it might be most beneficial for the Red Wings to move on from a bottom-pairing, seventh defenseman role player. On the other, it might be easier to move a more impactful defenseman, especially as bait to address needs at forward and in net.
The most likely candidates to move are Justin Holl and Olli Maatta, both of whom project to play bottom-pairing roles on next season’s team. Holl has been the subject of buyout fodder from fans and media for much of the offseason — just one year removed from his signing a three-year, $3.4 million UFA deal last free agent cycle. This move would create $1.133 million in dead cap space until 2027-28 according to CapFriendly. That might be a palatable cost with the salary cap expected to keep increasing each season.
If Detroit doesn’t agree, it might have a hard time trading Holl because he played just 38 games last season. Considering his small role, his cap hit is a bit unfriendly. And with free agency nearing and other defensemen on the market, it’s easier for other teams to find upgrades elsewhere for more controllable terms. There’s always the option for the Red Wings to package futures to ship Holl off, though the sense of this has to depend on what the difference in cap space is worth for Detroit’s next moves.
Moving Maatta could be easier, as the third-pairing stalwart might be an attractive depth piece for a contender that needs defensive help. He and Gostisbehere held down the third pairing for most of last season, a role in which they were not asked to do too much defensively, but they handled their workload well.
Holl and Maatta are easy targets to cast away, but perhaps someone with a greater role could be easier to move. Petry could be cheap depth for a contender in much the same way as Maatta, especially after he played top four minutes for Detroit. Even a breakout player in Walman could be easier to move, with higher upside for the team on the other end of the deal. With teams such as Toronto and Utah in need of blueline upgrades this upcoming season, the right return package could make trading a higher caliber defenseman a viable option.
This is especially relevant as Edvinsson prepares to take on a full NHL role, which could see him unseat his lefty teammates in Walman or Chiarot. Depending on the role that Detroit feels Edvinsson is ready to take on, leveraging another top four defenseman for a forward upgrade or a goaltender could help address other areas of concern with next season’s roster.
This could all be a smaller issue depending on what Detroit management expects out of free agency. If Gostisbehere signs with another team, that could free up one spot. However, Yzerman expressed his desire to bring him back at his end-of-season press conference, and the Red Wings could really use Gostisbehere’s talent as a power play quarterback to keep one of its strengths intact. Even if Gostisbehere does leave, hiring a similar power play quarterback through free agency could re-create the roster space issue.
In the end, Detroit would love to have blue line depth like it enjoyed last season, but that luxury comes with its own pains. The maturation of prospects is starting to create too much defensive depth, and because of that someone probably has to move on.
Regardless of who exactly that is, the Red Wings’ blue line will probably make some goodbyes this offseason.
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