Red Wings: 3 “Under the radar” free agents to target this offseason

The Detroit Red Wings are likely going to be active during the 2020 offseason, take a look at three “under the radar” free agents to consider.

While the Detroit Red Wings have not touched the ice since March, the front office is hard at work with the upcoming offseason. The expectations are that the Red Wings are going to be active on the market and seeking out free agents, hopefully, some big names.

Even with an exceptional cap situation that benefits them, the organization could choose to target some names of players who could be overlooked. While rumors have already started that the Red Wings are going to make a big name signing, they have to have options.

Targeting some of these more cost-efficient and overlooked players might be a route to consider for the Red Wings organization. They could make a few smaller impact signings with these under the radar players.

Here are three players that the Red Wings should target in the upcoming offseason:

Erik Haula- C, LW

First up to consider is center/left winger Erik Haula who spent his 2019-20 season between the Carolina Hurricanes and Florida Panthers. He was shipped over to the Panthers at the trade deadline in February, finishing out the year in Florida.

Haula is a cheap and practical option for the Red Wings to consider; he took home just $2.75 million in 2019-20, and even with a raise, is still a quality addition to the forwards the Red Wings have. Now 29 years old, he still possesses value and would be a great addition.

In total, Haula played in 48 games between the Panthers and Hurricanes, where he posted 12 goals and 12 helpers for 24 points, with a 54.1 face-off win percentage. Looking deeper at the analytics, Haula was a 50.3 Corsi For ranking, being -2.9% lower than the team averages during his 48 games played.

His 52.2 dZS % from the 41 games he played with Carolina explains the lackluster CF% ratings. This dZS% means he was deployed into the defensive zone more often than not. Haula’s offensive success may not have been tapped into as much with the Hurricanes.

He should be considered as an overlooked talent in the free-agent pool since it seems that he has some offense that can be tapped into in certain roles. At a minimum, he would be a cost-effective signing to help the depth of the Red Wings forwards.