The Detroit Red Wings tried all season to land a top, right-shot defenseman. The Wings were believed to be the frontrunners for Quinn Hughes. They were also in the mix for Rasmus Ristolainen and Rasmus Andersson.
Since none of those deals worked out, the Wings settled for former St. Louis Blues veteran blueliner Justin Faulk. While Faulk played well enough this season, there figures to be a hole in Detroit’s blueline this season.
That hole could find a solution in San Jose Sharks’ impending UFA blueliner Mario Ferraro.
Ferraro’s name was the subject of trade speculation all season long. Just about every team in the league showed interest in the 27-year-old defenseman at one point or another. However, the Sharks ended up holding on to him at the NHL trade deadline.
Now, the prevailing chatter suggests that the Sharks will keep Ferraro. But if the former second-round pick from the 2017 NHL Draft decides to hit the market, the Red Wings should come calling.
It’s worth being realistic, of course. Ferraro isn’t going to fill a role like, say, Quinn Hughes would have. But he would at least stabilize a crucial part of the Red Wings’ blue line. In particular, that hole could be on the bottom pairing.
The Red Wings could use a veteran presence to help offset the pressure on top defensive prospect Axel Sandin-Pellikka. Sandin-Pellikka got off to a strong start this season, but faded during the second half. It was evident that the workload got to him.
That’s why adding someone like Ferraro could help offset the pressure on younger blueliners like Sandin-Pellikka, Albert Johansson, and Simon Edvinsson. In a way, adding Ferraro is like bringing in some additional insurance moving forward.
Ferraro Could Be a Wild Card for Red Wings
While the initial plan may be to have Ferraro play in a bottom-pairing role, he could offer much more versatility. Since injuries are a major part of any season. Ferraro can move up and down the lineup as needed.
As such, it wouldn’t be a stretch to see Ferraro even playing on the top pairing with Moritz Seider. He offers that sort of flexibility that few other defenders can. Ferraro can, in addition, play on both sides. That’s a huge plus when considering just how much situations can change throughout the season.
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Detroit Would Likely Need to Pay Up for Ferraro
The only potential caveat in this discussion could be the price tag on Ferraro. He’s coming off a four-year deal with a $3.25 million cap hit. That’s not bad. But the Red Wings will have to do better than that to bring him in.
Ferraro could comment on a multi-year deal in the neighborhood of $5 million AAV. The question would be if the Red Wings would be willing to commit that cap hit over, say, four or five seasons.
Considering the Wings’ aversion to long-term deals on veteran players, it might very well be that Detroit might think twice about inking Ferraro.
Ultimately, there’s always the possibility that Ferraro re-ups with the Sharks. But if he does hit the free-agent market, the Red Wings should definitely check in.
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