Inside the Article:
The Detroit Red Wings offseason is well underway and with that, the rumors of trades and interest in free agents have begun. The NHL draft will take place next Wednesday in Nashville, and free agency will begin next Saturday (July 1st). It is no secret that the Red Wings need scoring, and on Tuesday, their General Manager, Steve Yzerman, addressed the media and said his goal is to build a core of young guys and have those guys be here for the future. After that press conference rumors came that the Red Wings have been interested in acquiring some scoring with them being linked to four young players, Alex DeBrincat, Travis Konecny, Brett Pesce, and Ross Colton.
Detroit Red Wings: Interested Players By the Numbers
Right Wing – Alex DeBrincat – Ottawa Senators
DeBrincat will turn 26 in December and has been rumored for Detroit since it was known he wanted out of Ottawa. DeBrincat is a restricted free agent, and he is heading to arbitration with him trying to get a $9 million qualify offer.
In his career, he has played in 450 games with 368 coming with the Blackhawks and 82 coming with the Senators. In those 450 games, DeBrincat has 373 points (187 goals and 186 assists). Last season for the Senators DeBrincat put up 66 points (27 goals and 39 assists) playing in every game. It has been rumored that DeBrincat will only sign a contract extension for two teams, with one being the Red Wings and the other having been reported as the Dallas Stars.
Right Wing – Travis Konecny – Philadelphia Flyers
The Flyers are in full rebuild mode and have already traded away defenseman Ivan Provorov and have been in talks about trading goalie Carter Hart; now Travis Konecny being traded has been rumored.
Konecny is under contract for two more seasons with a $5.5 million cap remaining on his deal. Konecny has played for the Flyers his whole career playing in 488 career games, putting up 332 points (141 goals and 191 assists). Last season Konecny put up a career-high in goals scoring 31 in just 60 games; he also added 30 assists for 60 points in the 2022-23 season.
Defenseman – Brett Pesce – Carolina Hurricanes
Pesce and the Hurricanes have not been able to come to terms on a contract extension, and if that continues over the next couple of days, he is expected to be moved. Pesce has one season left on his contract and is looking for an extension and Carolina would like to keep him as he is a key part of the team’s success that saw them reach the Eastern Conference Finals this past season.
Pesce has played eight seasons in the league all with the Hurricanes appearing in 557 games putting up 185 points (36 goals and 149 assists). Last season Pesce played in every game for Carolina finishing the season with 30 points (5 goals and 25 assists).
Center/Wing – Ross Colton – Tampa Bay Lightning
Colton will be a restricted free agent, and Tampa Bay can’t afford to keep him with all the other names they currently have, so the Lightning will be looking to move him. Colton was a draft pick of Steve Yzerman’s when he was the GM of the Lightning.
Colton has played in 190 games in his career all with Tampa Bay putting up 83 points (47 goals and 36 assists). Last season Colton played in 81 of the Lightning’s 82 games recording 32 points (16 goals and 16 assists).
Key Points
- The Detroit Red Wings’ offseason has begun
- The NHL Draft is June 28th
- NHL Free Agency begins July 1
- Red Wings have been linked to four names Alex DeBrincat, Travis Konecny, Brett Pesce, and Ross Colton.
Detroit Red Wings Bottom Line
The Detroit Red Wings are going to make some moves coming up as they look to make their team better and build a “core” as Yzerman said is his plan. The Red Wings will most likely make a trade to acquire either Konecny or DeBrincat as they fit in the gameplan, but Yzerman most likely won’t move the ninth pick and won’t move Simon Edvinsson, Marco Kasper, Amadeus Lombardi, Carter Mazur, and a few others, but that doesn’t mean he doesn’t have prospects he could be willing to use as trade chips.
Pesce, I would think, is not going to be moved and will come to an agreement with the Hurricanes on a contract extension, but the Red Wings could use some help on the right-handed side of their defensive unit. Colton could be a piece the Red Wings could go after as Yzerman knows that organization well but the contract he may require may not be in the Detroit Red Wings plans.
Yzerman has a lot of options in the offseason and players that can make the Detroit Red Wings better so I’d expect one of these players to gain some more traction over the weekend, and we could see a deal done before the draft next Wednesday and have a new solid player in a winged wheel sweater.
