After a finish to the 2023-24 season that saw the Detroit Red Wings come just short of returning to the Stanley Cup Playoffs, there were hopes that general manager (GM) Steve Yzerman would be able to make moves this offseason to put the organization over the top. With the cap space Yzerman had to work with, he has been able to go out and make plenty of moves via free agency, re-signings, or trade. With that being said, what has each move looked like and how do they grade out as of now?
Free Agency & Re-Signings
G Jack Campbell (Signed, One year, $775,000)
A bit of a head-scratching signing by Yzerman with having three goalies already on the roster (including Cam Talbot, who will be mentioned later on), Jack Campbell may be getting his last chance to make any impact at the NHL level. After a rough start with the Edmonton Oilers, the Port Huron, Michigan native spent the rest of the 2023-24 season in the American Hockey League (AHL). He struggled to begin his time in the minors but ended up being able to settle in and put up a modest 2.63 goals-against average (GAA) and a .918 save percentage (SV%).
He will have a massive hill to climb to regain a spot in an NHL lineup with the Red Wings this upcoming season, and there is a strong possibility that he will end up spending more time with the Grand Rapids Griffins of the AHL than he will be in the NHL. The worst-case scenario is that he ends up being a mentor to Sebastian Cossa and can create a solid one-two punch in Grand Rapids. Still, the move is a bit baffling for Yzerman to make.
Grade: C
RW Christian Fischer (Re-Signed, One year, $1.125 million)
After signing with the organization last offseason, Christian Fischer became a fan favorite among Red Wings fans, thanks to his energy and play from the bottom of the lineup. Between his strong play on the forecheck, throwing his body around, and chipping in on the scoresheet, Fischer was an exciting fourth-line player for the Red Wings and a reliable penalty killer when called upon.
Bringing back a player like Fischer, who can contribute both on and off the ice, at the price they were able to sign him, is a strong signing for Yzerman and the Red Wings for this upcoming season.
Grade: A
D Erik Gustafsson (Signed, Two years, $4.0 million)
Heading into the offseason, Yzerman made it clear that improving on the defensive side of the puck was going to be one of his top priorities. With Shayne Gostisbehere being an unrestricted free agent (UFA) and Jake Walman being shipped to the San Jose Sharks, he decided to go out and bring in Erik Gustafsson. While he may not be able to replicate or fill the void left by either departing player, he will still be a solid third-pair defenseman who can eat up some ice time if need be.
Gustafsson has the skillset and capability to play on a power play unit if called upon. Replacing Gostsibehere, who signed with the Carolina Hurricanes with Gustafsson, may not end up being an “even swap, ” but he is still a competent defenseman.
Grade: B
RW Patrick Kane (Re-signed, One year, $6.5 million)
After bringing the future Hall-of-Famer in last season, Patrick Kane could still live up to the “Showtime” nickname he has had throughout his career. Finally, with a healthy offseason, there is hope that he can once again be one of the top offensive players on the Red Wings this season and help to continue to bring out the best in his linemates. On top of the on-ice impact he makes, having a veteran of Kane’s caliber in the locker room is another thing that he continues to bring to a Red Wings roster with players like Moritz Seider and Lucas Raymond on it, as well as some of the organization’s prospects who will be attending training camp in the fall.
Grade: A
RW Tyler Motte (Signed, One year, $800,000)
Yet another player with Michigan ties, being a Michigan-born player and having played for the University of Michigan from 2013-2016, Tyler Motte has never been a player who will bring a ton to the offensive side of the game. His forte seems to be more in the defensive play, as he has shown throughout his career to be a pest as a defender and on the forecheck. This has led to him becoming a strong penalty killer. He will likely spend his time on the fourth line this upcoming season and fill in on the penalty kill throughout the year. Adding him to the lineup as an energy type of player with the capability to be a strong penalty killer could end up helping the team defensively in a strong way.
Grade: B+
RW Vladimir Tarasenko (Signed, Two years, $9.5 million)
With the freed-up cap space thanks to the Robby Fabbri trade to the Anaheim Ducks, the Red Wings brought in a two-time Stanley Cup winner in Vladimir Tarasenko. While he may not be the same player he was for the St. Louis Blues, he still brings some explosive offense both in five-on-five play and on the man advantage.
Adding a player of Tarasenko’s level should add even more firepower to the lineup for the team and will make the top two lines forward-wise potent, depending on how head coach Derek Lalonde decides to compile it.
Grade: A
G Cam Talbot (Signed, Two years, $5.0 million)
After the Red Wings saw three goalies on the roster for the majority of the 2023-24 season, there is a strong chance that they will be doing the same after the signing of Cam Talbot (barring a move of one of Alex Lyon or Ville Husso). Talbot should be an upgrade at the backup position over James Reimer, who is coming off a strong season that saw him carry most of the workload for the Los Angeles Kings. He started 52 games for the Kings and recorded a 27-20-6 record while having a 2.50 GAA and a .913 SV%. With the moves Yzerman has made at the goaltender position, it could end up being an interesting season once again for Red Wing fans.
Grade: B
Trades
Sending D Andrew Gibson to the Nashville Predators for RW Jesse Kiiskenen and a 2024 second-round pick (via Tampa Bay)
In a swap of 2023 draft picks, the Red Wings sent Andrew Gibson to the Predators after he had a breakout season for the Soo Greyhounds in the Ontario Hockey League (OHL). He became a prospect in the Red Wings’ system, which many fans started to be excited about and keep tabs on. Sending him to Nashville was a surprise, and he had a solid developmental camp for the Predators this offseason.
In return, the Red Wings got Finnish-born Jesse Kiiskenen and the Lightning’s second-round pick. Kiiskenen is an interesting prospect due to his 2023-24 season spent in the top Finnish league, Liiga, as an 18-year-old. He showed that he could play in the league and is expected back in the upcoming season. He should become a prospect that Red Wing fans can hear more about as the season begins. The second-round pick could have ended up becoming a solid asset for the team, to either take yet another prospect with the pick or package it to move up or for a player via trade. Instead, it ended up being part of the Jake Walman trade (which personally was a disappointing trade and will be talked about in the next section).
Grade: B (Based mainly on the second-round pick being flipped in the Walman trade, otherwise this move would be a solid B+)
Sending D Jake Walman and the 2024 second-round pick acquired from Nashville to the San Jose Sharks for future considerations
The most baffling trade Yzerman made this offseason has been shipping Walman and a second-rounder to the Sharks for basically nothing (at this point). While Walman did miss the finish of the 2023-24 season, he was on a relatively cap-friendly contract ($3.4 million cap hit). He was also a solid partner on the first pairing with Seider for the most part and was a player who, in his time in Detroit, became a massive fan favorite. On top of that is the second-round pick that had to be attached to Walman in the move. It seems like it was a steep price for the Red Wings to pay the Sharks for, quite honestly, nothing in return.
Moving on from Walman’s contract did open up more cap space for the team, and time will only tell if there was more reasoning behind the move, but as of now, it is one of the biggest head-scratchers of the offseason.
Grade: D
Sending Robby Fabbri and a conditional 2025 fourth-round pick to the Anaheim Ducks for G Gage Alexander
Fabbri was a solid contributor to the Red Wings during his time with the organization but fought the injury bug quite a bit. He also saw his role with the team diminish a bit this season, and having a player whose cap hit was at $4 million for the upcoming season who would likely be playing bottom-six minutes was always likely to be moved if given the opportunity. Being able to offload his contract seemingly opened up the cap space for Yzerman to go out and sign Tarasenko the same day. The move seems to be a solid trade-off for the Red Wings.
In return, they received Alexander, who will most likely be headed to the Toledo Walleye of the ECHL and will add even more depth to the system at the goaltender position.
Grade: A-
Plenty of Work Left to Do
Yzerman and the Red Wings have made plenty of offseason moves to this point, but there is still clearly more work to do. This includes still shoring up the defense and signing both Seider and Raymond to extensions, seeing that they are still restricted free agents (RFA). If he has taught fans anything, Yzerman has proven that there are moves that you may not see coming until they happen, and with there still being plenty of time before the puck drops on the 2024-25 season, there is a good chance he ends up making more moves for the roster.
