Red Wings: 3 players to target after NHL’s salary cap announcement

The Detroit Red Wings should try to capitalize on teams negatively affected by the flat salary cap this offseason.

The Detroit Red Wings should technically be “spenders” this offseason, going out and addressing needs on this team. The National Hockey League (NHL) has announced the flat cap that will not change.

The league made it clear that the 2020-21 salary cap will remain at $81.5 million, where it was during the 2019-20 season. This announcement also showed that the cap might not go up the following year, even if it does, it will likely be a slower climb.

For some teams around the NHL, this is terrible news as big spenders may be reluctant to spend much with salary cap uncertainty. It is also disturbing news for impending free agents who will likely see low-ball offers with hopes to avoid any future issues.

A few prime examples of this come to mind: teams built for the cap to keep rising incrementally, not a flat cap, or a minimally growing salary cap. The Toronto Maple Leafs and their core four are all on large deals, making things tough if the cap does not go upwards in the coming seasons.

The St. Louis Blues will be in a pinch with their captain Alex Pietrangelo given their salary cap struggles. There are plenty of teams across the league that will be negatively affected by the cap staying at $81.5 though most reports had it increasing to around $83 million.

Frankly, with the Red Wings having $35,240,834 in projected cap space according to their CapFriendly page, things will go well. Now, they do have some restricted free agents to deal with, including Tyler Bertuzzi and Anthony Mantha.

With whatever is left over, they will need to address some needs, strategically landing them a few coveted players. Bringing in players who will positively affect this rebuild will be another significant step for General Manager (GM) Steve Yzerman.

The Red Wings fanbase has been incredibly trusting of Yzerman and the famed Yzer-plan. Having a strong second season in Free Agency would be more than beneficial for the organization’s former captain.

Last summer, Yzerman would bring back Valtteri Filppula, former Red Wings forward, and a former Tampa Bay Lightning forward when Yzerman was the GM in that organization.

Then he would poach a pair of former Colorado Avalanche players in the form of defenseman Patrik Nemeth and goaltender Calvin Pickard on cheap deals.

When the season was said and done, Filppula and Nemeth’s low-cost signings worked out pretty well. Take a look at three players to target with the new salary cap announcements.