Detroit Red Wings: 3 free agents to avoid signing in 2020
By Bob Heyrman
F Carl Soderberg
Carl Soderberg seems like a player former Detroit Red Wings general manager Ken Holland would target in free agency. It’s a new philosophy under Steve Yzerman, and Soderberg is hopefully not on his grocery list this fall.
Soderberg cut his teeth with the Boston Bruins playing as a bottom-six forward. He proved to be a valuable penalty killer and depth scoring center. He can play up and down the lineup playing as a second-line center sparingly but better suited as a third or fourth center. Soderberg does struggle in the faceoff circle, typically winning well under 50% of his draws.
After two full seasons in Boston, Soderberg landed in Colorado, where he’d play for four seasons. With Boston, Soderberg recorded 40-plus points in back to back seasons and continued to have success for three of his four years with the Avalanche.
Soderberg recorded a career-high 51 points during his first year in Colorado but endured a significant slump in his second season recorded a mere 14 points. He’d bounce back, recording 37 points and 49 respectfully, and in his final season with the Avs, Soderberg recorded a career-high 23 goals before moving on to Arizona. That would be the only time Carl eclipsed the 20-goal plateau in his career to date.
This past season with Arizona, Soderberg recorded 17 goals, added 18 assists totaling 35 points while averaging 15:54 of ice-time.
The Detroit Red Wings do lack offensive depth down the middle of their lineup, but with the team already having the likes of Justin Abdelkader, Frans Nielsen, Valtteri Filppula, Darren Helm, Christoffer Ehn, and Luke Glendening clogging up the bottom of the lineup, it’s in Detroit’s best interest to avoid signing another 35-year old forward.
Soderberg is just about to the point in his career where we see players rapidly decline. He can still fill a role on a playoff team looking for a fourth-line center with scoring ability, but in Detroit, there is no need to block another young player with a mid-30s veteran.
If Ken Holland happened to be Detroit’s GM today, I’d be terrified that Soderberg would be one of his top targets. Let’s see if the veteran center ends up landing in Edmonton.