NHL Insider Elliotte Friedman believes that the time is right for a major move by the Detroit Red Wings at some point during the offseason.
While the Stanley Cup Playoffs are in full swing, the Detroit Red Wings are once again watching from home after they extended their absence to a 10th straight season.
Not only are the Red Wings in the midst of the longest playoff drought in franchise history, now spanning 100 years, but they also hold the NHL’s longest active postseason drought.
That distinction comes after the Buffalo Sabres ended their 14-year drought earlier this spring and are now one win away from advancing to the second round.
Last week, Red Wings general manager Steve Yzerman held his season-ending media availability session and made it clear that not only is he disappointed with how things played out, but that he recognized warning signs even amidst what was an advantageous position in the standings for Detroit in January and February.
He also made it clear that the club simply needs more talent on the roster.
“We need better players,” Yzerman said. “We need to improve specifically in certain areas. We can talk about goal scoring; we need to improve in that area, particularly five-on-five.
“Collectively, if you’re watching the playoffs, and I’m assuming and I’m hoping our players are, to play with the intensity and determination needed to be successful to make the playoffs and get there," he continued. "But ultimately it’s incumbent upon me and my staff to improve the team.”
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Yzerman's press conference was addressed by noted NHL Insider Elliotte Friedman during a recent airing of his "32 Thoughts" podcast. In Friedman's mind, the door is open for a "big" move for the Red Wings during the offseason, especially given Yzerman's blunt assessment of needing better players.
“I think when you take a look at how hard Todd McLellan was on the Red Wings players after that last game, the 8-1 loss to Florida, and I think everyone understood why he felt that way, Yzerman and McLellan up there together and Yzerman giving him a 100 percent vote of confidence, that was a message,” Friedman said.
“And the message was, the team I put together, it's not good enough. And we already knew that from the fact that they didn't get in. But you know how sometimes managers will defend it, saying they weren't ready or had injuries, nope. He didn't sugarcoat anything."
Friedman concluded:
“Big summer for him," he said. "He's put everyone on notice. It's tough to predict. I think it's one of those things that if they don't make a big trade this summer of some kind, or a big move this summer of some kind, people are going to be shocked. And he's walked himself into a position where he almost has to do it.”
It appears as though the door is open this offseason for a major upgrade to the Red Wings roster.
They were linked to multiple names in the weeks and days leading up to the March NHL Trade Deadline, including Elias Pettersson of the Vancouver Canucks and Robert Thomas of the St. Louis Blues, though both players ultimately remained with their current clubs.
The Red Wings were also reported heavy frontrunners to land defenseman Quinn Hughes before he was ultimately traded from the Canucks to the Minnesota Wild in December.
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