Red Wings: Would it be blasphemous to claim Tyler Johnson off waivers?

The Detroit Red Wings should make a blasphemous move and claim Tyler Johnson off waivers from the Tampa Bay Lightning.

While the NHL Free Agency period has begun, the Detroit Red Wings will likely be an active player. Whether it is big names, veteran rentals, or much-needed goaltending help, they will likely be making some moves on the market.

The organization now has to decide what they would like to do given a recent roster move by the Tampa Bay Lightning. According to Elliotte Friedman, the Lightning have placed forward Tyler Johnson on waivers.

Johnson has four years left on his contract, $5 million average annual value, and $3.75 cash salary left. No one was able to complete a trade for him, and now he will hit waivers and see if anyone gives him a look.

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One of the worries with Johnson is that he could be Seattle Kraken bound, in a year with the new organization’s expansion draft.

The organization should take a chance on Johnson; he is a former “Red Wings killer” who destroyed the team in the postseason.

If General Manager (GM) Steve Yzerman truly wants to keep his Tampa Bay Lightning roots flowing here in Detroit, bringing in Johnson could be interesting.

It may be a blasphemous move for the Red Wings to bring in the player who was destroying this organization in the postseason,

The move should be explored by the Red Wings, even with a higher price tag.

In 2019-20, Johnson played in 65 games for the Lightning, where he scored 14 goals and 17 assists for 31 total points. He spent that last eight years in Tampa Bay but now finds himself on waivers.

Yzerman could go out and get one of “his boys” from his former team and bring in a “big-name” that could take up some cap space. It could possibly even be considered a “rental” move if Johnson were moved in 2020-21, and then selected in the Seattle Kraken expansion draft.

It may be a long shot to get Johnson at a $5 million average and even be able to pitch that idea of bringing him here. But as free agency continues, Yzerman needs to at least explore bringing him in while the team continues to go through the rebuild.

Yzerman has said he wants to stick with one to two-year deals, but even this heftier four-year contract is still worth taking on for the organization. For now, it will be a waiting game to see what Stevie Y does for his Yzer-plan.