Fans don't like hearing that sometimes the best moves are the ones your team doesn't make. So far, Steve Yzerman has exemplified that this offseason.
Returning Patrick Kane
What more is there to say? Showtime in Hockeytown isn't enough? Patrick Kane gives the Red Wings a top-six scorer and will put butts in the seats. No fan can say they aren't ecstatic to have another year of watching Patrick Kane. Don't lie to yourself. Hearing Ken Daniels call, "It's Patrick Kane in Chicago!!!" may have been the highlight of the season.
Not Overspending
Yzerman has often overspent in free agency, which has put the Detroit Red Wings in tough situations to improve the team. With Lucas Raymond's improvement this season, the team decided not to pursue an additional top-six wing. Furthermore, not overspending ties into allowing some prospects to move up to Detroit. As far as the timeline goes, patience and youth development fit perfectly this season. Hopefully, Yzerman can find a way to create some cap flexibility while extending Raymond and Mo Seider.
Adding Veterans as Bridge Players
The addition of defenseman Erik Gustafsson allows the Red Wings to (hopefully) bridge to Axel Sandin Pellikka. While he doesn't have the offense of Shayne Gostisbehere, he's an improvement on defense. The Red Wings blue line had major issues last year. Hopefully, this, along with the promotions of Simon Edvinsson and Albert Johansson, marks the beginning of a reshaped defensemen core. However, now the position seems overloaded. Could someone like Justin Holl, Oli Maata, or Ben Chiarot be on the move?
Another player who fits this mold is goalie Cam Talbot. Talbot comes on a reasonable contract but isn't a long-term solution. Ideally, one of their goalie prospects can develop over the next two seasons, and Talbot stays strong for the duration. Sebastion Cossa still needs time to develop in the AHL.
The addition of another AHL goalie, Jack Campbell, complicates the team's goalie picture. Yzerman has said he's not planning to carry three goalies next year. What does this mean for Alex Lyon and Ville Husso? One of them is likely the odd man out. Lyon had an unbelievable run last year but slowed down (likely overworked). Husso has had similar inconsistencies. Lyon's contract is preferable, but Husso's will likely be more difficult to move.
Depth Moves
Bringing back Christian Fischer is another good move from the Red Wings. He provided some good physicality on the fourth line last season and will likely do it again. Plus, who doesn't enjoy the apologies to his mother for cursing?
The Red Wings made several organizational depth moves as well, including Sheldon Dries and William Lagesson.
Losses
Losing David Perron and Shayne Gostisbehere to free agency will undoubtedly hurt the team's short-term success. With a team in a rebuild, sacrifices have to be made. The contract Perron received from the Senators priced him out of Detroit, but Gostisbehere's contract in Carolina seems well within Detroit's range. Perhaps the team believes in Edvinsson and Johansson even more than they've led on. Or maybe there is some reason to question Yzerman's negotiations. Perron's veteran leadership will be sorely missed. Again, plenty of time remains in the offseason to fill out the roster.
Conclusion
Overall, the Red Wings are off to a good start. The next big steps are extending Raymond and Seider, figuring out the goalie situation, addressing Jonatan Berggren's contract, and deciding if they need to add more forward depth or if Carter Mazur, Marco Kasper, and Nate Danielson are ready to move up.
There are reasonable concerns about the team's short-term improvement. However, some of those could be alleviated with a healthy Dylan Larkin and Patrick Kane and continued improvement from some of the young players. The Red Wings may still have some dealing to do.
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