The Detroit Red Wings have signed forward Dominik Kubalik to a two-year, $2.5M/year contract. The team announced this move during the flurry between Ben Chiarot and David Perron’s deal.
Kubalik was a Calder finalist in 2019-20, putting up 30 goals in his rookie season with the Chicago Blackhawks. Since then, he’s struggled to replicate those results, but still managed a consistently solid role in Chicago. He’s a middle-six forward with a penchant for shooting and can play on the power play as needed. This kind of signing should be great for the team’s depth as they add yet another scorer to the lineup.
Another neat bit of trivia: Kubalik’s signing means that the Red Wings now have Calder finalists from the last three years on their roster (Kubalik, Alex Nedeljkovic, and Moritz Seider).
Kubalik should help to shore up the team’s abysmal power play as well as provide an extra bit of oomph on the wing. The Czech forward is a lock for middle-six play, but it’s hard to say exactly how big his impact will be with the Red Wings. He should help the team compete in a highly competitive Atlantic Division that’s only gotten better across the board.
Still, it begs a question: who is on the outs? 14 players have deals with Detroit at forward. With Jonatan Berggren on the come-up, who is the odd man out? Will a trade come? All of this speculation becomes even further complicated when you account for Robby Fabbri, who is set to return in January of 2023. It seems like all signs for departure point to Adam Erne, who underwhelmed last season with lackluster offensive and defensive metrics. Still, opening night is three months away. Steve Yzerman has plenty of time to shuffle around the roster as the needs arise.