Jeremy Laura: Detroit’s Free Agents - UFA edition

One nitpick: The Red Wings aren't obligated to sign a goalie for expansion draft purposes. The only requirement is that you have to have one non-exempt goalie who is either under contract or an RFA, and Kaden Fulcher (RFA) already fulfills that obligation for Detroit.

Looking at the UFAs, Luke Glendening is the only one I feel really confident that Yzerman will probably re-sign. He is definitely not the best player on the list, but this team is extremely short center depth and Glendening, when deployed intelligently, provides a few things that the other UFAs can't really replicate.

In the abstract I think Gagner, Ryan, and arguably Helm are still NHL-quality players and I wouldn't necessarily be mad or surprised if one or two of them were retained, but with Bertuzzi coming back, emerging young players needing ice time, a flat cap, and no more taxi squad, I think I would be better to have the roster spots. I also think Nielsen will probably be bought out for this reason.

Everyone else I think is likely gone, except possibly Bernier.

Try to re-sign Glenny, Bernier and Ryan. Helm, Gagner, Hirose, Filppula, Staal, Biega, Pickard can walk. Buyout Nielsen.

One nitpick: The Red Wings aren't obligated to sign a goalie for expansion draft purposes. The only requirement is that you have to have one non-exempt goalie who is either under contract or an RFA, and Kaden Fulcher (RFA) already fulfills that obligation for Detroit.
- Sven22

I think there’s a “games played” or dressed clause

Try to re-sign Glenny, Bernier and Ryan. Helm, Gagner, Hirose, Filppula, Staal, Biega, Pickard can walk. Buyout Nielsen.
- gergeswillems

Solid. I’m fine with AHL filler for a few

Looking at the UFAs, Luke Glendening is the only one I feel really confident that Yzerman will probably re-sign. He is definitely not the best player on the list, but this team is extremely short center depth and Glendening, when deployed intelligently, provides a few things that the other UFAs can't really replicate.

In the abstract I think Gagner, Ryan, and arguably Helm are still NHL-quality players and I wouldn't necessarily be mad or surprised if one or two of them were retained, but with Bertuzzi coming back, emerging young players needing ice time, a flat cap, and no more taxi squad, I think I would be better to have the roster spots. I also think Nielsen will probably be bought out for this reason.

Everyone else I think is likely gone, except possibly Bernier.
- Sven22

All well put. Glenny has a lot to show the kids. Work ethic, PK etc. Draper stayed on to help Helm transition to center. Definitely fine with letting players move on

All well put. Glenny has a lot to show the kids. Work ethic, PK etc. Draper stayed on to help Helm transition to center. Definitely fine with letting players move on
- Jeremy Laura

More than a few Red Wings fans on the interwebs have advocated for buying out Dekeyser. I can't see that happening. Unlike Nielsen, DD doesn't hurt the team when he's on the ice. We're not exactly overflowing with defensive talent right now. DD isn't very good but he's decent. I'd be surprised if Yzerman buys him out.

Nielsen needs to be bought out. We don't need cap space. But I want his roster spot opened up. Buy Nielsen out. Give him his money and he can retire and the team can move on. DD at least gives us a veteran presence on defense for a young Seider. It wouldn't shock me if Yzerman brings Marc Staal back for 1 year/$1 million.

Yzerman really likes him and has talked about him in glowing terms. I wouldn't re-sign him but when forecasting a future Red Wings roster I always try to think how the Red Wings GM might think. Holland was much easier to predict than Yzerman is.

More than a few Red Wings fans on the interwebs have advocated for buying out Dekeyser. I can't see that happening. Unlike Nielsen, DD doesn't hurt the team when he's on the ice. We're not exactly overflowing with defensive talent right now. DD isn't very good but he's decent. I'd be surprised if Yzerman buys him out.

Nielsen needs to be bought out. We don't need cap space. But I want his roster spot opened up. Buy Nielsen out. Give him his money and he can retire and the team can move on. DD at least gives us a veteran presence on defense for a young Seider. It wouldn't shock me if Yzerman brings Marc Staal back for 1 year/$1 million.

Yzerman really likes him and has talked about him in glowing terms. I wouldn't re-sign him but when forecasting a future Red Wings roster I always try to think how the Red Wings GM might think. Holland was much easier to predict than Yzerman is.
- gergeswillems

After Abby was bought out, all bets are off. Steve is trimming. For Staal, I’ve liked his game. Agreed on Dekeyser. Not a liability on ice, just oft injured

Should we re-sign Weiss?

Should we re-sign Weiss?
- Tee56

Holland might.

Solid. I’m fine with AHL filler for a few
- Jeremy Laura

I would like to see Hirose for another year or so to see if he can take those elite ahl playmaking skills to the next level. However he is likely a career ahler.

Holland might.
- gergeswillems

My god, Stephen Weiss the fantasy hockey league #1 enemy, lol He should have stayed in Florida

What about Adam Erne? Isn't he also a pending UFA? With the year he's had give him one more.

What about Adam Erne? Isn't he also a pending UFA? With the year he's had give him one more.
- Wingsfan61

Erne is an RFA. He's Yzerman's son so he'll be back. But he also ERNEd another contract.

I think there’s a “games played” or dressed clause
- Jeremy Laura

There is for forwards and defensemen, but not for goaltenders.

My god, Stephen Weiss the fantasy hockey league #1 enemy, lol He should have stayed in Florida
- joegreif17

The story was Babcock didn't want Holland to re-sign Filppula and wanted Weiss to replace him as the Red Wings 2C. Weiss was putting up very good numbers in Florida. But then he was coming off wrist surgery when Holland gave him that big contract averaging 5 mil AAV. Yzerman signed Filppula when he first came to Tampa.

Weiss was never the same player he was in Florida and Holland ended up eating a warm sandwich by buying him out. Holland took alot of heat for one of the worst signings in UFA history. He never blamed Babcock publicly for it and I always respected him for that.

The story was Babcock didn't want Holland to re-sign Filppula and wanted Weiss to replace him as the Red Wings 2C. Weiss was putting up very good numbers in Florida. But then he was coming off wrist surgery when Holland gave him that big contract averaging 5 mil AAV. Yzerman signed Filppula when he first came to Tampa.

Weiss was never the same player he was in Florida and Holland ended up eating a warm sandwich by buying him out. Holland took alot of heat for one of the worst signings in UFA history. He never blamed Babcock publicly for it and I always re
spected him for that.
- gergeswillems

Yep, it happens. Too often pending ufa's have a career year and somebody is foolish enough to sign them, like David Clarkson, Loui Eriksson, Milan Lucic etc

We're getting way off topic now, but ...

While I'm sure Weiss' wrist injury (plus just aging) were factors in his play declining, I never thought he was that bad, just underutilized.

His last season in Detroit he was at nearly half a point per game despite playing less than 12 minutes a night with mostly garbage linemates (Joakim Andersson, Riley Sheahan, Teemu Pulkkinen, Glendening, and Helm). Considering the context he was actually pretty solidly productive IMO.

To be honest, I thought the problem was less that Weiss wasn't good enough and more that he just got Babcocked. Same thing happened to Ian White, and to a lesser extent Mike Commodore (although he was legitimately a fringe NHLer at that point.) Coach just suddenly decided not to use them anymore and that was that.

That's why the "Babcock was the one who wanted Weiss" story was always so strange to me. In retrospect you'd almost wonder if it was something intentionally petty and vindictive, given what we know about the coach these days.

Ian White got too freindly with Babcock's young daughter......

Nielsen will go on LTIR, he was ruled out for the season along with Bert. The least he could do is save the wings spreading his hit over two years.

Larkin also out tonight, which sucks.

When does Veleno get his chance?

So at this point with Larkin and Fabbri out our 1C is gonna be, uh, Rasmussen I guess? Him, Namestnikov, or Filppula. That's who we got, plus Glendening, unless Helm and/or Gagner still remember how to take a faceoff.

Brutal.

Nielsen will go on LTIR, he was ruled out for the season along with Bert. The least he could do is save the wings spreading his hit over two years.

Larkin also out tonight, which sucks.

When does Veleno get his chance?
- DRW1991

Has not been cleared yet apparently.