4 star forwards the Detroit Red Wings need to sign this offseason
By Bob Heyrman
The Detroit Red Wings need to sign forward Filip Forsberg.
Wouldn’t this be something; the Detroit Red Wings signing someone dawning the Forsberg name, although I need to add, Filip has no relation to Peter, the former star forward of Detroit’s archrival Avalanche of the 90s and 00s.
Filip Forsberg‘s future with the Nashville Predators is in serious doubt at the conclusion of the 2021-22 season. The star forward is expected to command a long-term deal worth more than the Predators are able/willing to pay.
Forsberg is coming off of a salary that pays him $6 million annually, and I suspect he will be looking to land a long-term deal that pays him an annual salary upwards of $8 million. So why should the Detroit Red Wings break the bank for Forsberg if Nashville is unwilling to do the same? Well, the short answer is, because they can.
With the abundance of cap space available, signing one premier free agent won’t hamper the teams’ future spending and secure a top-notch scoring forward.
Forsberg is once again having a stellar season in Nashville; he’s tied in second place across the league in many scoring categories, including five game-winning goals, 15 even-strength goals while averaging 2.25 goals per every 60 minutes of ice-time. So far, in 26 games this season, Forsberg has recorded 18 goals totaling 29 points averaging just over 18 minutes per night. The 27-year old winger also possesses a Corsi For Percentage of 54.6% this season.
Forsberg has played eight full seasons with Nashville, recording 196 goals and 414 total points over 523 games.
The Red Wings have struggled to secure consistent scorers since Pavel Datsyuk and Henrik Zetterberg wore the winged wheel. Imagine adding Forsberg to this roster next season. Detroit is currently hovering around .500 without the services of Jakub Vrana, who has yet to play this season due to suffering a serious shoulder injury that required surgery at the beginning of training camp. Vrana is expected back in late February.
Detroit’s top line of Dylan Larkin, Tyler Bertuzzi, and Lucas Raymond has turned heads this season; imagine following up with Forsberg, Suter, and Vrana.
The Red Wings then can come back with the third line of Robby Fabbri, Filip Zadina, and Vlad Namestnikov, which only lengthens the lineup and gives the Red Wings a capable fourth line that can chip in on the score sheet. I’ll be very content if Detroit’s fourth line consists of Michael Rasmussen, Adam Erne, and either Joe Veleno or Sam Gagner.
If I am Yzerman, I am making Filip Forsberg my number one priority this offseason if he hits the open market.