Detroit — As NHL unrestricted free agency arrives Wednesday, it’ll be interesting to see how aggressive the Red Wings will be.
Or maybe, can be.
There’s a level of uncertainty surrounding the Wings, with the largest question being what is the exact future of Dylan Larkin.
The Wings’ captain has asked for a trade, preferably to a current Stanley Cup contender, and general manager Steve Yzerman is likely to fulfill that request at some point. But given Yzerman’s comments Saturday, after the NHL Entry Draft, it isn’t going to happen until the Wings get what they feel is fair value for the consistent 30-goal scorer — and that may not happen for a while.
Larkin’s absence creates a gaping hole, as the No. 1 center and the Wings’ most consistent offensive force.
But as a close second to Larkin’s cloudiness, there’s the uncertain status of Patrick Kane.
The veteran winger can be an unrestricted free agent Wednesday, but has been in a similar position the last two years and re-signed with the Wings in the late hours the night before free agency begins.
There’s a good chance that’ll happen again. Yzerman has talked of how the Wings would like to bring back Kane. But given the Wings’ question marks, plus the likelihood of other teams with Stanley Cup aspirations possibly being interested in Kane, it wouldn’t be shocking to see Kane leave for elsewhere.
If Kane were to leave, and Larkin too, what does that mean for Alex DeBrincat, Kane’s longtime successful linemate, who has one season left before becoming an unrestricted free agent? DeBrincat led the Wings with 41 goals last season.
The Wings will look for offense Wednesday, sifting through a free-agent class as weak as it has ever been. With so many younger players now being signed to long-term deals, the UFA pool is becoming increasingly shallow.
The Wings also likely will want to change the look of their bottom-six, to add a bit more physicality — and offense — on the third and fourth lines.
Then there’s finding a goaltender to back up John Gibson. The Wings had Cam Talbot in that role last season, but Talbot, at age 38, is a free agent who might look for a little bigger workload elsewhere.
The Wings have Michal Postava in Grand Rapids, but aren’t yet convinced Postava is ready to make the jump to the NHL after one pro season in North America.
Here are some names to keep an eye on that could interest the Wings:
Mason Marchment, left wing, Columbus: Marchment, 31, would be a nice fit for the Wings, playing up or down the lineup, and at 6-foot-5, plays the rugged type of game they need. He twice scored 22 goals in Dallas, and last season had 19 goals between playing for Seattle and Columbus. Marchment will have a lot of interested teams who likely will overpay for the good player, but not star.
Viktor Arvidsson, left wing, Boston: Arvidsson, 33, scored 25 goals in Boston in sort of a rebirth season. He’s been a steady pro for much of his career and has been a dependable 20-goal scorer. It would be surprising if he doesn’t work something out with the Bruins.
Anders Lee, left wing, N.Y. Islanders: Lee, 35, has played on Long Island is entire career, and the expectation is the two sides will work something out in the late hours. Lee saw his streak of 20-plus goal seasons end at five last season — he scored 19. He’s excellent around the net.
Boone Jenner, center, Columbus: Jenner has been the heart and soul of the Blue Jackets, but injuries have slowed the Columbus captain. He had 38 points last season and would still plug a need in the middle-six forwards with the Wings with his tenacity.
Anthony Mantha, right wing, Pittsburgh: A reunion with the Wings isn’t likely, but you can’t completely count it out. Mantha had a rebirth last season in Pittsburgh with a career-high 33 goals, then struggled in the playoffs. The challenge for Mantha will be to duplicate the passion he played with last season.
Sergei Bobrovsky, goaltender, Florida: The two-time Stanley Cup champion goaltender is going to want too much money and wouldn’t be eager to split the net with Gibson. But Bobrovsky will find a job somewhere.
Connor Ingram, goaltender, Edmonton: Could be a nice fit as a backup goaltender to Gibson. Ingram, 29, was 16-10-3 with the Oilers, with an .899 save percentage. Ingram could thrive in a lesser role, but able to play more if Gibson were to get hurt.
Patrik Laine, right wing, Montreal: Laine only played five games because of an abdominal surgery last season in Montreal. Laine has one of the strongest shots in the NHL and could be a viable gamble on an incentive-laden contract. His defensive shortcomings and inconsistency, though, are glaring.
Frederik Andersen, goaltender, Carolina: Andersen was terrific in Carolina’s Stanley Cup-winning run after a mediocre regular season. The Hurricanes could still re-sign him. Also, Andersen likely would want a bigger role than what the Wings are offering.
Louis Domingue, goaltender, Florida: Domingue might be the type of goaltender who would be able to shuttle between the Wings and Grand Rapids comfortably and provide the young goaltenders in the organization with veteran advice. He has plenty of experience backing up at the NHL level.
tkulfan@detroitnews.com
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This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: Red Wings face uncertainty entering NHL free agency; here are possible targets
Reporting by Ted Kulfan, The Detroit News / The Detroit News
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By Ted Kulfan, The Detroit News | USA TODAY Network
