This is the offseason that the Detroit Red Wings need to move some of their assets for NHL-calibre players
Daily Faceoff: David Pagnotta, on the Detroit Red Wings on their lack of depth, and offseason where they could move some assets to acquire players. They should follow the Montreal Canadiens’ path of last offseason where they moved some assets for a really good player to help now – Noah Dobson.
Irfaan Gaffar: “Any other GM with the lack of success would have been gone a long time ago, but Steve Yzerman ain’t getting fired. So what’s next for the Detroit Red Wings?”
Pagnotta: “Yeah. I mean, look, Stevie’s relationship with ownership, it’s deep. It runs deep.”
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Gaffar: “Of course, 100%.”
Pagnotta: “He sold his plan, and it’s just starting to bear fruit, in a sense that he rebuilt this cupboard. He filled it up. The prospect pool is deep. Not everyone’s going to hit, but it’s deep. It’s allowed them to create and accumulate young assets that are either going to take the next step to the NHL level, or they’re going to package them up and start moving to bring in NHL-calibre pieces.
Now, I think they’re at that stage. I think they have to be at that stage. We saw what this team was capable of doing when they’re healthy, but as soon as injuries hit, they drop. And they don’t have the depth to make up for the fact that you’re not going to have, you know, you’re losing Dylan Larkin for two weeks. You’re losing Andrew Copp for two weeks, or three weeks, or whatever it is. You’re losing this guy or that guy who’s going to step up. You don’t have those depth pieces that can step up.
But I think they’re at the point now, and I believe, I believe management feels this as well. A lot, not a lot of stuff comes out of Detroit. They keep a tight lid on things, but every now and again, a couple things. Talk to some other teams around the league. It sounds like this is going to be an offseason for them to pounce by utilizing a number of their young assets to either again, make the jump, or package some of those pieces up in order to bring in some NHL calibre players, similar to what Montreal did last offseason.
You packaged two first-round picks and Emil Heineman, who’s solid, serviceable third-line guy, in order to get Noah Dobson. He’s injured right now, but he’s been a stud, and he’s mid-20s.
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Like that’s what Detroit needs to start doing now. And I think, or if that’s what they’re going to look to do this offseason, is to make a little bit of noise here and start taking those next step, next steps, so that they can be the Montreal of next season. The Buffalo next season. The Ottawa next season.”
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