The Detroit Red Wings have improved in the last several seasons, but fans hoping for a young player infusion should be warned that it might result in some regression. Detroit scored 74 points in a season three years ago, 80 points two years ago, and 91 points this past season.

The Detroit Red Wings are facing a decision as they enter 2024–25. For the first time since returning to the front office, Yzerman will have to tread cautiously around the salary cap in the hopes of improving on a season in which he scored 91 points. The NHL salary cap will increase from $83.5 million to $88 million, as you are probably already aware. The $4.5 million boost will provide the Red Wings some flexibility, but Detroit will only have about $11–$13 million in free agency left once Moritz Seider and Lucas Raymond are extended this summer. They will cost roughly $16–$18 million a year. The following players are Detroit’s pending free agents:

Lucas Raymond (RFA), Joe Veleno (RFA), Moritz Seider (RFA), Christian Fischer, Patrick Kane, David Perron, Shayne Gostisbehere, Daniel Sprong, and James Reimer.

Once more, managing the cap and strengthening the roster will be challenging. Although Yzerman has conceded that it won’t be possible to bring back every one of Detroit’s pending free agents, he is still committed to strengthening the roster.

“We kind of have ideas and thoughts of things that we’d like to do, but I don’t know what will happen in free agency,” Yzerman remarked. “And I’ll say, ‘OK, with Lucas and Mo signing at various ranges,’ as part of that. And we’re going to do that if they’re not signed and there are still movements that we genuinely believe are significant to us and make sense. If that’s the case, we might need to modify our original negotiation approach with those people. However, we’ll work to make team improvements and increase our chances the next year.

Despite having positive conversations with their representatives, Yzerman stated that he does not anticipate having Raymond and Seider extended before the start of free agency on July 1. This implies that Yzerman will have to assign the appropriate cash while working around the figure that each is likely to command. Never rule out a team making an offer sheet, even though it’s doubtful. Should such an occurrence transpire, the Red Wings would possess ample cap room to counter the accepted offer.

The general manager of the Red Wings also stated that he does not see any blockbuster-style transactions involving this week’s NHL Entry Level Draft’s No. 15 overall choice. Additionally, Yzerman stated that choosing a “good player”—someone who has the potential to play in the NHL—for the team is imperative. That’s what you get from Yzerman, even if it’s a very apparent statement that sounds rehearsed or like something Scott Harris of the Detroit Tigers would say. Yzerman basically states that the Detroit Red Wings will approach the draft with the ‘best player available’ strategy rather than committing to a certain position and rarely gives away his cards.

Yzerman stated, “At this point, I wouldn’t anticipate or I wouldn’t expect any blockbuster trades from Detroit involving the 15th pick.” “That kind of opportunity isn’t actually available to us. We have other matters to attend to. We’re investigating that, then. Even at the fifteenth spot, that pick is still quite high. It is imperative that we acquire a talented player. It is imperative that we acquire a player who truly competes for us in the National Hockey League. We require that. Furthermore, it’s not as easy or automatic as we would all want to believe it to be. Thus, it’s critical that we sign a player.