Sleeper Red Wings Free Agency Targets

Calling anyone on this free agency board a “big-ticket” player is bad journalism. The best players on this list are solid middle-six forwards or decent bottom four defenseman. While not exciting, the players who are near the top of this list could really push Detroit forward, especially if multiple come on to the team.

Bobby McMann: I would feel bad for taking another point from Max Bultman, who had Bobby McMann as the player Detroit should be targeting in free agency if it wasn’t so obvious. McMann checks all three of Detroit’s biggest needs at forward. First of all, the guy can produce. McMann was good for 29 goals and 46 points in 78 games, including 10 in his last 18 with Seattle. Despite being 29, he’s only played 218 NHL games but recorded 105 points (with only 13 coming on the power play) in that span as a depth option. His consistent offensive production alone is enough to draw interest in McMann, but it’s the way he produces that matters too.

McMann is a great skater; his splits are fantastic, with an impressive top speed, which is something Detroit seriously needs. Detroit’s depth chart had guys like Van Riemsdyk, Kane, Perron, and Compher who simply aren’t fast enough to push the tempo well. Teams like Carolina, Buffalo, and Montreal are having great playoff runs that live and die by their fast, aggressive forecheck. Detroit not only needs to keep up with other teams, but also improve its own lackluster forecheck.

One of the reasons McMann can help boost the forecheck is because he’s really solid physically, the third problem with Detroit’s current forwards. McMann threw 165 hits, a number that would be good for third on the team, giving Detroit some much-needed grit. His 6’2″, 217 lbs frame is also the kind of physique that will bode well in the postseason.

Mason Marchment: I’ve been all over Detroit getting Mason Marchment for a while. He’s a consistent 20-goal threat who comes with a huge 6’5″ frame and a mean streak to go with it. Marchment’s versatility is probably what draws me to him most. Throughout his career he’s played all kinds of minutes and all kinds of scenarios.

Ideally, you want Mason Marchment on your second line. Marchment can play on either wing, which gives you a bit of a contingency plan for when Kane moves on. But if that’s not an option, he can provide value just about anywhere in the lineup. He looked steady beside Fantilli and Marchenko on the Blue Jackets’ top line; he’s proven he can be a fringe first liner. I also have full faith in Marchment as a bottom-six player. He has multiple seasons of below 15:40 minutes on ice, which is what Compher played this past season, and he has had 62, 54 & 71 point paces through those seasons.

Despite his reputation as a bruiser, he doesn’t throw a ton of hits. While 84 hits in 68 games isn’t bad, it’s a far cry from McMann’s total, which was nearly double that. However, Marchment would still be 8th on the Red Wings for hits. There is a history of some dirty play with Marchment, where that reputation comes from, and frankly, I’m not opposed to some of that on Detroit either.

Long Term Help

Mario Ferraro: I’ve been pretty consistent in my belief about the Red Wings needing another lefty. I’m a firm believer in the right side, especially with Anton Johansson impressing in the Calder Cup playoffs. The future on the left is more of a question for me. After Simon Edvinsson, there really isn’t anyone I’m confident in long-term. That’s where I think Mario Ferraro comes in as a good fit.

This season, Ferraro significantly improved on the defensive end. Advancedhockeystats.com shows it best. This season, he was a pretty amicable defenseman in his own end, which he hasn’t been for most of his career. As for why, I’m not sure. It’s not like there is a huge improvement in his partner this season from last or a major improvement in the team. It appears he’s just found a way to take a step.

His size is understandably a question. Most sites have him listed at 5’11”, 200 lbs. That’s not ideal for this blue line, but seeing as he threw 137 hits, had a positive WAR, and decent underlying numbers on a bad Sharks team, I can overlook the size. With Ben Chiarot locked into this lineup for a while and no hope in the long term, I’d be looking to get one more big name to help hold down the left side. Given he’s only 27, I’d be fine taking him on as a bottom four guy for the future.

A.J. Greer: It was Greer who was left out on the ice to celebrate the Stanley Cup win along with his line-mates because Panthers head coach Paul Maurice wanted to reward them for their play. Now, with the Panthers in a crunch for cap space, one of the Panthers more underrated players could be a cap casualty.

Detroit needs help in the bottom six. Almost nobody on the market could help them as much as Greer can. First off, Greer can produce at a high clip at even strength. This season, he recorded 31 points at even strength in just 12:26 minutes of ice time per game. The offense alone, like McMann and Marchment, is enough to be interesting, especially given how little time he needs to produce.

But at 6’3″, throwing over 200 hits, he is a huge push in the right direction for helping the Red Wings’ depth get far more physical. It’s probably the best part about his game; the bite that he has is at the highest tier of this free agent group.

I understand this is a career year for him, and he’s never even put up 20 points before this season. But that’s also because he’s never played more than 10:00 minutes of time on ice per game in a season before. There is at least some reason to believe Greer can continue being a hyper physical, depth scoring option who starts to correct the losing culture in the Red Wings depth.

With Greer only being 29 and the Red Wings needing some bite and pedigree long term on the left wing, locking Greer up for a handful of years could be the right kind of gamble for a team with some pretty serious cap space.

Depth Additions that Could Go a Long Way

Kasperi Kapanen: The Red Wings need a scoring punch with some speed in the bottom six, preferably on the bottom line, and there is some hope that Kapanen could become that. He’s lightning fast and has some offense to his game, scoring at a 34-point pace, though he is often injured.

The biggest question about Kapanen is how he might look away from Leon Draisaitl and Connor McDavid. On the one hand, playing with two of the best players in the world probably have helped boost his numbers. On the other hand, he’s playing tough minutes that he really shouldn’t be sniffing.

Detroit’s depth chart certainly can’t replace the former, but it could certainly help with the latter. If Kapanen could be a fast, 25-30 point guy on the bottom line, I think Red Wings fans would be pleased with him as a depth addition.

Michael McCarron: The consistent theme here is that this group of free agents could get the Red Wings the address their lack of a truly dominant physical presence. McCarron, if nothing else, could be that.

McCarron doesn’t have the offensive touch that any of the guys I’ve mentioned have. But that being said, his 17 points are still more than those of Mason Appleton and Michael Rasmussen. So, I’m not too worried about that. Especially because McCarron actually uses his massive 6’6″ frame. McCarron threw 205 hits this past season, something the Red Wings really lack.

I could see a fourth line of Mazur, Compher, and McCarron being pretty decent. Mazur and McCarron can handle the physicality the Red Wings need, and hopefully Compher can just be in the right spots to bang in some offense. It’s certainly better than what the Red Wings had this season.

More to Read