Detroit — General manager Steve Yzerman was satisfied with what he was able to accomplish in free agency in trying to improve the Red Wings.
Specific needs, such as forward depth, right-shot defensemen, back-up goaltending, some size and “pushback”, boxes were checked off.
But that need of more goal-scoring, Yzerman continues to plug away at.
“We’d like to score more,” said Yzerman Monday during a media conference during the Wings’ development camp for their prospects and recent draft picks. “That’s the general discussion, the Wings need to score more. I’m counting on a collective, the entire group, the roster we have now, everybody chip in a little bit on offense which will help us score more.”
Yzerman pointed to the return to health of Robby Fabbri, the fact Lucas Raymond will be another year older and experienced, and free agent J.T Compher’s arrival as helping the offense. But even with internal improvement, Yzerman continues to search for a proven goalscorer, be it the thinned out free-agent market or a possible trade.
“Teams generally after July 1 and July 2, things settle down and teams evaluate what they need and for various reasons might have to make a move,” Yzerman said. “We’ll explore possibilities.”
With most teams up against the salary cap, and the cap expected to go upward in the next year or two, teams and players were satisfied with short-term deals in anticipation of a larger deal down the line.
The Wings signed goaltenders James Reimer (one-year, $1.5 million), goaltender Alex Lyon (two-years, $1.8 million), defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere (one-year, $4 million), and forwards Daniel Sprong (one-year, $2 million) and Christian Fischer (one-year, $1.125 million) on short-term deals, while signing defenseman Justin Holl (three-years, $10.2 million) and forward Compher (five-years, $25.5 million) to longer-term contracts.
Yzerman was comfortable getting Compher, 28, on a longer term.
“He’s a very good athlete,” Yzerman said. “He’s 28, remained relatively healthy. He’s a right-shot centerman who has played all three positions and power play and penalty kill. He’s a very versatile player who has the ability to move around, and to me, that makes him very valuable.”
Signing Fischer and acquiring forward Klim Kostin in a trade could potentially shore up the size and grit the Wings were looking for, while also help the team in other areas.
“They’re young guys and have upside,” Yzerman said. “They can still grow. Fischer, a right winger, a bigger guy and a good penalty killer. Klim is an evolving player, a highly touted junior who was an offensive guy, and he’s evolving into a big, strong guy who can shoot the puck into the net. His role is growing.
“They make us a bigger team and add a dimension of shooting the puck into the net. Each player has room to grow as hockey players and they make us a little bigger for sure.”
The arrival of Holl and Gostisbehere, and re-signing restricted free agent Gustav Lindstrom, likely ensures prospect Simon Edvinsson begins next season in Grand Rapids.
“We have high hopes for Simon, but I’m not prepared to put him on the team in a top-six role,” Yzerman said. “Certainly I don’t think it’s beyond a possibility that Simon comes in and has an outstanding training camp, and outstanding pre-season and simply forces his way into the lineup, and if that happens, that’s great, we’ll figure it out.
“But at this stage, to say we’re going to put him in the top-six, I’m not prepared to say that and I don’t want to do that. It’s not fair to him and it’s not fair for any of our young players, or the team itself. He’s an excellent young prospect and we saw a lot of good things in the nine games he played at the end of last season (with the Wings). If he’s ready to play and he earns a spot on the team, we’ll figure it out.”
Zadina waived
The decision Monday to waive forward Filip Zadina, said Yzerman, came about after Zadina, through Zadina’s agent, asked to be traded.
Yzerman attempted to move Zadina but found no takers, leading to putting Zadina on waivers.
“He had asked if he could potentially go somewhere else, looking for more opportunity, a fresh start,” Yzerman said. “I’ve tried to find a place for him to play, somebody who is interested in Filip, maybe give him that opportunity. I haven’t been able to do that.
“In putting him on waivers, I’m trying to give him an opportunity to go somewhere, an organization, to play more. We’ll see if that happens.”
Any team can grab Zadina (2018 first-round pick, sixth overall) until Tuesday at noon. Zadina has two years left on his contract at $1.825 million average annual value.
Zadina remains Red Wings property if he is unclaimed, and Yzerman wouldn’t mind that at all.
“I don’t write his career off by any means,” Yzerman said. “He made significant steps (last season). It’s been a challenge for him, he’s had some injuries playing in Detroit. He’s got upside. He still can become a valuable player in the NHL.
“It could happen here. I would like it to happen here. I still think there’s something there as a player. We’ll see where it goes. There’s not much more I can do at this stage to help him. He’s got to go out and earn it.”
Zadina, 23, was expected to be a prolific goalscorer, but has only scored 28 goals in 190 NHL games. Injuries have played a factor, causing him to miss substantial playing time, but Zadina has failed to solidify a consistent spot in the lineup when healthy.
Last season, Zadina only played 30 games mainly due to injuries, with three goals and four assists (seven points) and a minus-five plus-minus rating.
“I don’t have animosity,” said Yzerman of Zadina asking for a trade. “Am I thrilled? No, I’m not. Am I happy to put him on waivers? No. I signed him to a three-year contract a year ago because I believed that he was going to grow. He signed that contract and my expectation is that he wanted to grow with us.
“The reality is that contract may prevent you from getting that opportunity you’re looking for in another organization.
“The best-case scenario, and it’s not out of the realm of possibility, is that he clears waivers, comes to training camp, plays well, works his way up into the lineup and goes (upward).”
ted.kulfan@detroitnews.com
Twitter: @tkulfan
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