The Detroit Red Wings are unlikely to make the playoffs this season and are expected to be aggressive in the offseason to improve their roster.
Detroit was hoping to be a playoff team but have struggled in the second-half of the season to take them out of the running. A potential need for the Red Wings is a defenseman, and insider Max Blutman of The Athletic believes Detroit should pursue Vladislav Gavrikov of the Los Angeles Kings in free agency.
“One name I’m curious about is Vladislav Gavrikov, the left-shot defenseman in Los Angeles,” Bultman wrote. “He has familiarity with McLellan and Trent Yawney from their time with the Kings, and as of (March 30), Gavrikov had the fifth-best five-on-five expected goals against numbers in the NHL (1.84 xGA/60) among defensemen who played at least 500 minutes.
“He’ll be 30 this fall, but that’s the nature of free agency, and a top pairing of Gavrikov and Seider has the potential to be one of the league’s most stout — capable of truly succeeding in the kind of tough minutes Detroit tends to feed Seider,” Bultman added. “And, it would allow Detroit to slot Ben Chiarot down the lineup against more manageable matchups, potentially on a pair with a young defenseman such as Johansson or top prospect Axel Sandin-Pellikka.”
Gavrikov is in the final year of his second-year, $11.75 million deal with the Kings. As Bultman writes, Gavrikov could be a top-pairing defenseman and help the Red Wings defensively.
Gavrikov has recorded 4 goals and 23 assists for 27 points in 73 games.
Insider Expects Gavrikov to Have Multiple Teams Interested
Although Bultman believes Detroit is a logical landing spot for Gavrikov, he expects the Russian to have several teams interested in him.
Gavrikov can be a shutdown defender, as well as adding some offense. With that, Bultman thinks Detroit will be in a competition with several teams for Gavrikov.
“Gavrikov will have a real market, to be sure. He won’t be cheap. But what he’s been in Los Angeles is exactly what Detroit needs — and having the same coaching staff that helped establish that Kings defense group could help make it possible,” Bultman added.
But the hope is that the familiarity with McLellan, who used to coach Gavrikov in Los Angeles, could entice him to sign in Detroit.
Red Wings GM Looking at Different Ways to Improve Roster
Detroit’s general manager, Steve Yzerman, has guided the team through a rebuild, and he wants to see the team compete for a Stanley Cup.
Ahead of the offseason, Yzerman says he wants to do whatever he can to improve the roster and bring a Stanley Cup back to Detroit.
“I’m going to continue doing what I think is right and here at the deadline, over the course of the summer, at the draft, and always do that,” Yzerman said. “I want to make the playoffs. I want to win a Stanley Cup as much as anybody in this city, and I take full responsibility for where we’re at today. I’m going to make the best decisions that I can for us, short-term and long-term, and not feel like I’m doing that I’m doing anything that is right for me. It’s going to be right for the team.”
The Red Wings are 34-33-6 and are three points out of a playoff spot.
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