3 moves Red Wings must make in 2024 NHL offseason

As mentioned, the Red Wings saw their goaltending drop off during the season. Detroit began the year with Ville Husso and James Reimer as the main tandem. However, Husso went down with an injury during the year. This caused Alex Lyon to jump into the rotation. And, at the beginning, he absolutely thrived.

However, the team began to rely solely on him, he began to decline. He still turned in a respectable season. Lyon recorded a .904 save percentage and two shutouts in 43 starts. Furthermore, he had 1.66 goals saved above average and 1.01 goals saved above expected for the Red Wings this year.

These are fine numbers, but they need more in goal. Reimer is a free agent this summer, and Husso is wild card given his injury issues as well as his inconsistent pay. As a result, the Red Wings would be wise to add a goaltender. They don’t need to shop at the top of the market, but they need some insurance for this upcoming season.

One potential fit is Minnesota Wild goalie Filip Gustavsson. The Wild are reportedly open to trade offers for the 25-year-old netminder. And he isn’t too far removed from a season in which he posted a .931 save percentage. He could have a bounce-back season in Detroit, so long as Detroit avoids overusing their goalies once again in 2024-25.

Red Wings need right-shot DMan

Another major question mark for the Red Wings is their defense. Yzerman addressed this position in NHL Free Agency and through trade last summer. They signed Justin Holl and Shayne Gostisbehere while trading for Jeff Petry before the season. But these moves did little to fix the team’s defense.

Holl served as the seventh defenseman on most nights. When he played, he didn’t perform too well. In fact, Holl was one of three Red Wings blueliners to record negative defensive goals above replacement. Gostisbehere recorded just 1.3 defensive goals above replacement, but his impact came mostly on offense. Petry was solid at times at even strength, but unreliable on the penalty kill.

Gostisbehere is set to hit the open market this summer. And while Detroit could use him, he is likely to receive a raise Detroit is better off not giving him. They need more defensive firepower, and “Ghost” doesn’t fit that need. As a result, the Red Wings could turn to a Michigan native to improve their blueline.

Matt Roy has quietly become one of the more underrated defensive defensemen in the league. The Los Angeles Kings defenseman has recorded more than 4 defensive goals above replacement in four of the last five seasons. This year, he led the team in that category with 6.1 He is a free agent this summer.

Roy does not put up a ton of points, having scored just 25 this season. But he defends exceptionally well and makes more good decisions than poor ones. He is exactly the type of player Detroit could use on the back end. It would be wise for them to bring another Michigan native back to the Mitten State.

Detroit must add top-six forward

Finally, the Red Wings need to add another top-six forward. Their offense was the least of their worries in 2023-24. But they face some potential losses at the top of the lineup. And they could use insurance to help Alex DeBrincat, Dylan Larkin, and Lucas Raymond next season.

Patrick Kane is a free agent this summer. Detroit certainly wants to bring the future Hall of Famer back for another go around. But that is far from a foregone conclusion at this point. Especially given his comments at the end of the season.

There are a few ways for the Red Wings to go here. But one potential fit is a trade with Yzerman’s favorite trading partner. Detroit could make a run at St. Louis Blues winger Pavel Buchnevich this offseason. Buchnevich broke out after a trade from the New York Rangers in 2021. In three seasons with St. Louis, the winger has scored 60+ points in each campaign.

If the Red Wings lose Kane, they should make a big splash to replace him. Yzerman is familiar with the Blues organization and has had success trading with them in the past. Adding Buchnevich would give Detroit a major boost at the time of their lineup for 2024-25.