We’ve reached the point where the Detroit Red Wings’ roster is just about set for 2024-25. There could be another move or two, but, generally speaking, the Red Wings are in good shape.
In all, Steve Yzerman completed three trades and signed nine players, including:
- Traded RD Andrew Gibson to Nashville for RW Jesse Kiiskinen and a 2024 second-round pick (No. 53)
- Traded LD Jake Walman and a 2024 second-round pick (No. 53) to San Jose for future considerations
- Re-signed LW Patrick Kane to a one-year, $4 million AAV deal
- Signed LD William Lagesson to a one-year, $775,000 AAV deal
- Signed G Cam Talbot to a two-year, $2.5 million AAV deal
- Signed C Sheldon Dries to a two-year, $775,000 deal
- Signed LD Erik Gustafsson to a two-year, $2 million AAV deal
- Signed G Jack Campbell to a one-year, $775,000 AAV deal
- Re-signed RW Christian Fischer to a one-year, $1.125 million AAV deal
- Signed LW Joe Snively to a one-year, $775,000 AAV deal
- Signed RW Vladimir Tarasenko to a two-year, $4.75 million AAV contract
- Traded LW Robby Fabbri and a conditional 2025 fourth-round pick to Anaheim for G Gage Alexander
With the free agent market slowing down, let’s take a look at how the Red Wings could line up in the fall.
Red Wings’ Projected Depth Chart
| LW | C | RW |
| Alex DeBrincat | Dylan Larkin | Patrick Kane |
| Lucas Raymond | J.T. Compher | Vladimir Tarasenko |
| Michael Rasmussen | Andrew Copp | Christian Fischer |
| Jonatan Berggren | Joe Veleno | Tyler Motte |
| LD | RD | G |
| Ben Chiarot | Moritz Seider | Ville Husso |
| Simon Edvinsson | Jeff Petry | Cam Talbot |
| Olli Määttä | Erik Gustafsson | Alex Lyon |
| Albert Johansson | Justin Holl |
Re-signing Patrick Kane to a one-year deal was a major win for the Red Wings. The future Hall-of-Famer will have a $4 million cap hit, plus up to $2.5 million in incentives that can be applied to either this year’s salary cap or next year’s if they are reached.
Another season with Kane bodes well for Detroit on two levels. First is his direct impact on the game – Kane was a point-per-game player for the Red Wings last season. The other is his indirect impact – his mentorship of Detroit’s younger players, most notably Lucas Raymond and Jonatan Berggren.
The newly signed Vladimir Tarasenko can still be effective in a top-six role. In addition, he should elevate an already strong power play with his wicked release from the right flank.
Expect Andrew Copp to return to his old role centering Detroit’s checking line, with Michael Rasmussen and Christian Fischer on the wings. Fischer, who signed a one-year deal on July 1, will continue to serve as a glue guy and positive presence in the locker room in addition to his checking line role. Tyler Motte could slot in here as well should one of the three regulars miss time.
Defensively, the Red Wings shuffled the deck a bit in the hopes of becoming a more well-rounded team in 2024-25. Expect Ben Chiarot and Moritz Seider to receive the lion’s share of tough deployments, with Seider likely quarterbacking PP1 as well.
The key takeaway from Yzerman’s moves, though, is that the organization has high expectations for Simon Edvinsson. They wouldn’t have traded Jake Walman otherwise. Olli Määttä and/or Justin Holl could have been dealt or bought out to open up the same amount of cap space. That wasn’t the case, though. Walman was moved because Edvinsson is ready.
What’s Next For the Red Wings?
Something tells me Yzerman isn’t done yet. One of his main goals was to improve defensively, and he’s made mostly lateral adjustments so far.
Otherwise, expect to see contract extensions for Seider, Raymond, Berggren, and Joe Veleno soon. Based on my projections, the Red Wings will be within $400,000 of the salary cap upper limit – that’s a tight squeeze. A calculated squeeze, though.
