Five Factors to Consider About Red Wings Offseason Plans

When it comes to guessing what changes Red Wings GM Steve Yzerman will make this offseason, what you don’t hear is probably more important than what you do hear.

Historically, most of Yzerman’s significant moves, particularly his trades, have often come without hockey insiders finding out before they occur. Yzerman keeps his circle tight, and rival general managers respect him enough to go along with his desire to negotiate without everyone knowing what he is up to.

The No. 1 factor to consider about what Yzerman may do this summer is to remember Yzerman always has more going on than what we hear about. Based on the limited amount of information rival general managers share about Yzerman, he is always aggressive in the trade market and he talks to everyone in the league.

2. Fourteen Teams Have More Cap Space

Competition for free agents will be more fierce because more teams than usual have a significant amount of salary cap space. With $21.34 million (according to puckpedia.com), the Red Wings rank 14th in available space.

The Red Wings have 17 players under contract. Patrick Kane is the only Detroit UFA Yzerman wants to re-sign, and the Red Wings are optimistic they can get that done. He’s over 35, meaning the Red Wings can give him a bonus-laden contract. Bonuses don’t count against the salary cap this season, but show up next season as overages.

Detroit’s three restricted free agents are Jonatan Berggren, Elmer Soderblom and Albert Johansson. Each of those players will get a deal near the lower end of the pay scale. It seems possible that Berggren, because of his scoring touch, could go in any trade Detroit makes.

Yzerman doesn’t talk like he wants to buy out anyone, but he has three defensemen (Ben Chiarot, Erik Gustafsson and Justin Holl) who are in the last year of their contract. If he wants to add more cap space, he could try to trade one or two of them. He could also reconsider buying out Holl or Gustafsson.

3. MBN Could Be Wild Card

File this under hunches. Michael Brandsegg-Nygard took his game up a notch in the Swedish Hockey League playoffs and American Hockey League playoffs. The Norwegian teenager posted four goals, six points and 12 penalty minutes in the SHL playoff. In the AHL postseason, he showed two goals, three points in three games.

He’s a gritty forward, holds his own physically.  Seems fair to wonder whether the Red Wings, if he has a good training camp, might break him in on the fourth line and let him learn on the job. How about a spunky fourth line with Elmer Soderblom, Michael Rasmussen and MBN?

4. William Wallinder is waiver exempt

This is not like last season when the Red Wings had to keep Albert Johansson or know that another team would probably claim him if they put him on waivers to send him back to Grand Rapids.

Wallinder doesn’t have to go on waivers. That gives Yzerman more flexibility when it comes to shopping for veteran defensemen.

The Red Wings expect Wallinder to be NHL ready or close this fall. But the plan could be to send him back Grand Rapids and he can be call-up if the Red Wings have injuries. The Red Wings like the progress he made this season. They see him as a big defender who can be solid and effective.

5. Tralmaks Is Not Really A Prospect

This is a different situation than we have seen with other players signed out of Europe. Latvian forward Eduards Tralmaks is 28, and will turn 29 next February.

You only sign a European player that old if you believe he has a chance of making the roster out of training camp. He was the leading scorer in the Czech Extraliga and he was Latvia’s best player at the World Championships.

Tralmaks, who spent his youth in the U.S., is 6-foot-4 and nhas scored 22 goals in 87 total AHL games.