Tom Szczerbowski-USA TODAY Sports
After several quiet offseasons, the Detroit Red Wings made a lot of noise this summer. It all started with 10-year coach Mike Babcock leaving for the Toronto Maple Leafs and Jeff Blashill being promoted from the AHL Grand Rapid Griffins. Losing a coach the quality of Babcock would start a fan revolt in most places, but the organization and the majority of the fanbase seems to believe that Blashill is the right man for the job.
That transaction helps usher in a new era of Red Wings hockey. Much like baseball managers, hockey coaches can sometimes get tuned out in a locker room after a decade of the same message. I believe Babcock’s drill-sergeant coaching methods worked back when the roster was primarily made up of veterans on a Stanley Cup contending team, but that same message might have run its course with the young core on the current roster. The organization decided to hand over the reins to 41-year-old Blashill, and I believe that decision will pay instant dividends in team chemistry, style of play and development of the team’s young core.
The Wings continued to make noise, this time through free agency, when they landed arguably the biggest name in the free agent pool – former Washington Capitals defenseman Mike Green. The organization finally landed the offensive-minded, right-handed defenseman they had been searching for since the retirement of Brian Rafalski in 2011. One could argue the price tag was too high at $6 million a season, but keeping the term to a three-year deal lowers the potential risk.
Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
The team then added 35-year-old Brad Richards, who was last seen holding up the Stanley Cup trophy with the Chicago Blackhawks, to a one-year, $3 million deal. The signing of Richards is risky given his age, but after seeing him record 14 points in the postseason for a ridiculously deep team like the Blackhawks, it’s not crazy to think Richards could be a 50-point performer as a second or third-line center this season.
The Red Wings have been known as draft wizards over the years, and this offseason was no different. The team had a top-15 talent fall into their laps with the No. 19 overall pick in the 2015 NHL Draft with Russian power forward Evengy Svechnikov. The Wings then added a talented defenseman in Vili Saarijarvi in the third round and goalie Joren Van Pottelberghe in the fourth round.
Another plus for the organization was the decision to part ways with aging veterans such as Dan Cleary (36), Marek Zidlicky (38) and Erik Cole (36). The team made a mistake by giving Cleary a roster spot last season, and he only managed to make an appearance in 17 games and post a minus-4 plus/minus in that short sample size. The youth movement would have taken a major hit if the organization decided to give up roster spots to marginal veteran players instead of giving young players like Teemu Pulkkinen, Landon Ferraro, Xavier Ouellet or Alexey Marchenko a fair shot at making the NHL roster.
After investing in both immediate success and the long-term future, the team decided to lock up some talented young players who will bridge that gap. The team signed talent goalscorer Gustav Nyquist to a four-year, $19 million deal, signed Dylan Larkin to a three-year entry-level contract and gave Brendan Smith a “show me” contract of two years and $5.5 million.
2015 Offseason Grade: A-
The organization got younger, filled all of their needs and improved the roster for both 2015 and beyond. There are risks involved with the majority of their offseason moves, but it’s hard not to be optimistic about what the Red Wings have done so far this summer.
Josh VanDyke covers the Detroit Red Wings for RantSports. Follow him on Twitter.
