Detroit Red Wings: Defensemen That Could Be Targeted In Free Agency
By Tyler Kotila
With the 2019 NHL Draft coming to a close, the eyes of Detroit Red Wings General Manager Steve Yzerman now shift to the Free Agency period which begins July 1st.
The Detroit Red Wings made eleven picks in the 2019 NHL Draft, and since the close of the draft, teams begin shifting focus to the free agency period which begins soon. The Red Wings have a few unrestricted free agents in the form of Thomas Vanek, Luke Witkowski, and Niklas Kronwall. Kronwall and Yzerman have been in talks regarding his return, and he was still undecided.
With the 2019-20 salary cap being announced this past weekend, the Red Wings have just over $12 million in cap space for the upcoming season. There is room within the roster for Yzerman to go out and make some signings, but the Red Wings need to focus upon defenseman and go get at least one more to add to the backend.
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After the disappointing loss to the Boston Bruins in the first round of the playoffs, the Toronto Maple Leafs have been trying to build the championship caliber team, and rumor has it Jake Gardiner is not a priority. Understandably so when the Maple Leafs have to focus on Mitch Marner first and foremost. Gardiner has slowly become the guinea pig for Toronto fans, so a change of scenery might be nice for the twenty-eight-year-old.
In 2019, Gardiner played in sixty-two games where he managed to hit three goals and twenty-seven assists for the Maple Leafs. He’s no Norris Candidate defenseman, but he’s a younger guy who should fit well with the Red Wings system. Gardiner is a six-foot-two, 203-pound defenseman who plays more of an offensive scheme. Gardiner is not a defensive liability, but the offense has always been more of his game, not playing on the top pairing in Toronto did stunt his ability to show it, at times. Gardiner would be a substantial addition to this Red Wings team.
Ben Hutton-LD
The Vancouver Canucks product is a six-foot-two, 206-pound left-handed shooting defenseman; Ben Hutton is now an unrestricted free agent with the Canucks locking veteran Alexander Edler up to an extension, they may opt to let Hutton test out the free agency waters. Hutton is only twenty-six years old, so adding a guy who could still be developing would be excellent for the Red Wings.
Hutton’s 2019 campaign consisted of sixty-nine games played with twenty points coming in the form of five goals and fifteen assists. The former fifth-round pick could be brought on with a short-term deal could benefit a team who is developing defensemen like Dennis Cholowski, Filip Hronek, and Jared McIsaac. If Yzerman entertains the thought of Hutton, it would be solid for the Red Wings.
Fresh off of a Stanley Cup Championship with the St. Louis Blues, unrestricted free agent Del Zotto could become an intrigued veteran presence for the Red Wings. This is a team full of veteran defenseman in the form of Mike Green, Trevor Daley, and Jonathan Ericsson but Del Zotto could prove to be worth the addition. He is twenty-nine years old as a left-handed defenseman standing six-foot, 201-pounds.
His statistical output in 2019 was not incredible, but he did only play half of the season where he managed one goal and nine assists for ten total points in forty-two games. The Red Wings could use a defenseman like Del Zotto on a short-term deal. Getting Del Zotto would allow him to play the same role as Green by being able to work with the younger Red Wings defenseman.
All-in-all, the Detroit Red Wings, need to sign one defenseman, Gardiner being my personal favorite, but either of the other two guys above would not be bad signings. Yzerman needs to weigh things out, figure out what is going to be best as the best way to spend our money and then go make the necessary moves.
Next. Draft Summary From Rounds Two Through Seven. dark
One thing that needs to be stressed, however, is that the Detroit Red Wings need to make sure they get younger players a chance to play. Yzerman making moves will be excellent for the organization, but he NEEDS to allow the young defenseman and even forwards a chance to play at the NHL level.