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Detroit Red Wings: Mediocre Offseason, Mediocre Season?

By Mike Rizzo

Dec 28, 2015; Saint Paul, MN, USA; Minnesota Wild forward Thomas Vanek (26) skates with the puck in the third period against the Detroit Red Wings at Xcel Energy Center. The Wild won 3-1. Mandatory Credit: Marilyn Indahl-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 28, 2015; Saint Paul, MN, USA; Minnesota Wild forward Thomas Vanek (26) skates with the puck in the third period against the Detroit Red Wings at Xcel Energy Center. The Wild won 3-1. Mandatory Credit: Marilyn Indahl-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Detroit Red Wings offseason has been really mediocre so will this lead to a mediocre season? Here’s why people shouldn’t jump off the bandwagon….yet.

The Detroit Red Wings got off to a fast start in free agency by signing Frans Nielsen, Steve Ott, Thomas Vanek and re-signing Darren Helm.

On July 1st, I gave the Red Wings a C grade in the moves they made, which didn’t include Ott or Vanek, but even with them the grade still stands.

The Red Wings also re-signed Teemu Pulkkinen to a one year deal. My C grade still stands because the Red Wings still haven’t fixed their pressing issue…DEFENSE.

Now, I will say that the free agent defense class was pretty weak, but there is the trade market. Cam Fowler from the Anaheim Ducks, Kevin Shattenkirk from the St. Louis Blues are a couple options.

For Shattenkirk the Blues supposedly wanted the Red Wings to part with Dylan Larkin. That was never going to happen. But the price for Fowler or any available defensemen through trade most likely will be high.

With the signings of Ott, Nielsen, Vanek and Helm the Red Wings have too many forwards right now and need to move a couple. In my opinion the Red Wings need to part with a player like Gustav Nyquist or Tomas Tatar. to get a defenseman here.

The main issue with this team continues to be defense. The Red Wings have Brendan Smith, Mike Green, Niklas Kronwall and everyones favorite Red Wing Jonathan Ericsson all locked up. Also Danny DeKeyser is in need for a contract extension.

Kronwall, Green, Smith and DeKeyser are fine as 2nd and 3rd pairing defensemen, but the Red Wings still lack that shut down, top line defensemen.

Those five aren’t going anywhere so what do the Red Wings do? Try to get Cam Fowler or bring up some defensemen from Grand Rapids.

Xavier Ouellet, Alexey Marchenko, and Ryan Sproul are a few options the Red Wings should consider bringing up.

Next: Detroit Tigers: The Problem With Steven Moya

This team is still at least two years away from really contending for a Stanley Cup. But they do have a goalie that could lead the Red Wings to a surprise run in Petr Mrazek. That helps a lot in the playoffs which I believe the Red Wings still make this season.

What do you think about this team? Should the Red Wings look to the trade market or bring up a prospect?

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