Red Wings Rebuild: A Blueline Blueprint for 2018-19

It is time for the Detroit Red Wings to set their sights on the future of the franchise. That translates into obtaining an abundance of draft picks and providing the organization’s youth with ample opportunity to demonstrate that they have the necessary talent to make an impact in the National Hockey League.

In regards to the blueline, three particular individuals may be ready to strut their stuff for the Red Wings next season. In his article for The Athletic, Craig Custance mentions that Joe Hicketts, Dennis Cholowski, and Filip Hronek could compete for a spot on Detroit’s roster in 2018-19. From an organizational standpoint, it is refreshing to see that the youth movement could take a big step as soon as next year. However, things are not as simple as just moving capable youngsters up to the main rosters. Other pieces of the puzzle must be addressed as well.

Assuming that Detroit does not make the mistake of bringing back Mike Green on a short-term deal (with no offense to Green), the Red Wings will have six NHL defensemen under contract for next season (Danny DeKeyser, Niklas Kronwall, Jonathan Ericsson, Xavier Ouellet, Trevor Daley, and Nick Jensen). It does not take a mathematician to realize that some bodies are going to have to be sent elsewhere to make room for the likes of Hicketts, Cholowski, and Hronek.

According to Custance, Ouellet is as good as gone after this season, which makes sense as there were rumblings made around the trade deadline that he was on the move. It just hasn’t worked out as well as everybody had hoped for when Detroit selected Ouellet 48th-overall in 2011 and a fresh start will be useful for both parties involved. Additionally, Custance poses Jensen as another member of the current defensive-core that could be dealt. He says that two teams showed interest in the 27-year-old at the deadline and he could be an easy piece to move. With an $812.5K cap hit next season, he is far from a financial burden and has proven to be a capable NHL defenseman.

If Ouellet and Jensen are dealt, that already opens up two spots on the roster. However, Detroit would love to shed one of its less-than-friendly contracts this offseason, and a few are taking up space on the Red Wings blueline. Before we go any further with this, let’s make one thing clear. If Kronwall intends on playing professional hockey next year, and he has made no statements hinting otherwise, it will be with the Red Wings. He has done far too much for this organization for them to send him packing. Truthfully, the team can use the leadership he possesses to help guide the young players they hope to make regulars on the roster.

Moving onto DeKeyser, Ericsson, and Daley. It will be challenging to find a suitor willing to bring any one of these gentlemen onto their roster. For one, they all have no trade clauses, though an argument can be made that they might want out of Detroit. Second, and most importantly, the production they bring to the ice does not match the dent they make in Detroit’s cap space. Regarding DeKeyser, there is no point in even discussing the possibility of being dealt. His $5M cap hit until the summer of 2022 makes that a certainty. The same could be said for Ericsson unless he was attached to a transaction where the other team was also receiving something of higher value. There is also the small chance that a contender with cap space brings him aboard to shore-up their defense. The most likely to be traded of the three players mentioned is Daley. He is the same age as Ericsson and comes with a more acceptable cap hit of 3.17M for the next two years. Similarly, he could be brought onto a contending team to strengthen their bottom pairing.

The most likely scenario is that Kronwall, DeKeyser, Ericsson, and Daley are still members of the Red Wings next season, providing two open spots for Hicketts, Cholowski, or Hronek to inhabit. This would not be an entirely awful scenario. Competition is always healthy and having three people battle for two spots could prove to be beneficial. The two who won the spots on the roster would be around veterans, and the odd man out would continue to develop. By the summer of 2019, Kronwall’s contract will be up, likely resulting in his retirement, and Daley becomes a much easier player to trade away.

Now, if the Red Wings somehow win this year’s draft lottery, a brand new, yet welcoming, wrinkle will enter the fold. However, that would be getting ahead of ourselves, and we don’t want to go and do that. Regardless, it will be fascinating to see what Ken Holland will do in constructing Detroit’s blueline for the 2018-19. Just one of many storylines to follow regarding Red Wings hockey this offseason.