Detroit Red Wings: Improving Defense Must Be Top Priority

The Detroit Red Wings need to improve several parts of the team, but their biggest weakness is their defense. They must upgrade that this offseason.

When it comes to their defensive corps, the Detroit Red Wings have a problem. They have plenty of defensemen to choose from – on their current roster or prospects in Grand Rapids – but among that group they don’t have anyone who is currently a legitimate top-pairing defenseman.

If the Red Wings are going to step their game up, and go from mere playoff qualifier to Stanley Cup contender, they will have to make a significant improvement to their group of defensemen.

The question this offseason isn’t what the Wings need to improve, but rather how they can do it?

So… how can they acquire a top-pairing defenseman? And what do they with the rest of the defensemen they already have?

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For starters, let’s look at the group of defensemen already on the Red Wings.

Niklas Kronwall, Jonathan Ericsson, Mike Green, Brendan Smith, Danny DeKeyser, and Alexey Marchenko spent last season as the regular group of defensemen.

Kyle Quincey was a part of that group as well, but he’s an unrestricted free agent and it’s been reported that the Red Wings are not currently interested in re-signing him.

Prospects Xavier Ouellet, Ryan Sproul, and Nick Jensen are knocking on the door, and they’re also all no longer waiver-exempt so Detroit will have to make a decision on them as well.

So who stays and who goes?

Kronwall, Ericsson, and Green aren’t going anywhere. Some Wings fans might wish otherwise, but they all have no-trade clauses.

DeKeyser and Marchenko are restricted free agents, dependable 2nd and 3rd pairing defensemen respectively, and also likely to be re-signed.

That leaves Brendan Smith and one or two of prospects Ouellet, Sproul, and Jensen as the most likely to be shipped out.

Smith has potential, relative youth, and a manageable contract, but has never reached his ceiling in Detroit. A change of scenery via trade could be beneficial for all parties involved.

Of course Smith alone won’t fetch a top-pairing defenseman in a trade. The Red Wings will also likely have to throw in Sproul or Ouellet.

Additionally, the Wings will also likely have to part with forwards Tomas Tatar or Gustav Nyquist, as well as a young, though less-established player, like Tomas Jurco or Teemu Pulkkinen.

Throw in an additional prospect and/or draft picks and you might be able to pry Roman Josi away from Nashville, Cam Fowler or Sami Vatanen from Anaheim, or Jacob Trouba from Winnipeg.

There are several paths they can take, and different combinations that could work, but the Red Wings will not advance in the playoffs anytime soon if they can’t significantly upgrade their defensive unit.

That’s not to say they don’t need help at the forward position as well, but Detroit is desperate for a top-pairing defenseman, and Ken Holland should be willing to explore all options to get the job done.

And since top-pairing defensemen don’t grow on trees, Holland will have to be aggressive, creative, and willing to give up some assets to improve in that area. Here’s hoping to some significant changes along the blue line this offseason.

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Detroit Red Wings: Improving Defense Must Be Top Offseason Priority

By Eli Kaplan | Jun 1, 2016

The Detroit Red Wings need to improve several parts of the team, but their biggest weakness is their defense. They must upgrade that this offseason.