Detroit Red Wings

Red Wings Don’t Qualify Kostin; Reportedly Close to Deal With Recently-Acquired Forward

Kostin was acquired by Detroit on Thursday.

Published

10 months ago

June 30, 2023

Bob Duff

Klim Kostin and the Red Wings are reportedly close to agreeing on a new contract.

The list of restricted free agents getting qualifying offers from the Detroit Red Wings leaked out Friday and it doesn’t include forward Klim Kostin.

Don’t go pushing any panic buttons, though, Red Wings fans. Kostin isn’t going anywhere.

Published reports are indicating that the Red Wings and Kostin are closing in on terms for a two-year deal. It’s also known that Avangard Omsk, the KHL club that had been pursuing Kostin to play for them, were backing off once he was acquired from the Edmonton Oilers on Thursday.

Told that Avangard Omsk (KHL) has given up on signing Klim Kostin, now that the Red Wings have acquired him.
Expect a two-year deal in Detroit for the former Oiler and Blue.

— Mark Spector🇨🇦🇺🇦 (@SportsnetSpec) June 30, 2023

The two sides have until noon on July 1 to come to an agreement before Kostin would be entering the unrestricted free agent pool.

Forward Kailer Yamamoto, the other player Detroit was picking up from Edmonton in the Kostin deal, was given a buyout on Friday.

Red Wings Relinquishing Rights To Lindstrom

Detroit did present qualifying offers to four players on Friday. The RFAs who were qualified include center Joe Veleno, goaltender John Lethemon and defensemen Jared McIssac and Wyatt Newpower.

Veleno played the entire 2022-23 NHL season with the Red Wings, posting career-high 9-11-20 totals in 81 games. Lethemon was earning the honor as the top netminder in the ECHL with the Toledo Walleye. McIsaac and Newpower both spent the entire 2022-23 season with Detroit’s top farm club, the AHL Grand Rapids Griffins.

Detroit is Lethemon, McIsaac, Newpower and Veleno

— Elliotte Friedman (@FriedgeHNIC) June 30, 2023

Four other players were not getting the tender of a qualifying offer and thus will become unrestriected free agents as of noon on July 1. That group is including two players who spent time with the Red Wings in 2022-23. The team wasn’t presenting defenseman Gustav Lindstrom or forward Matt Luff with qualifying offers.

A 2017 second-round draft pick in 2017, Lindstrom had fallen out of favor with the Wings, playing just 36 games the entire season. He’s been exploring his options for playing in his native Sweden next season.