Another season is in the books Red Wings fans and what an odd season it was. For the first time in over two decades the Red Wings entered a season not only without the pressure of keeping their playoff streak alive but without anyone outside of the locker room/front office thinking they even had a shot at making the playoffs. They flirted with a run a few times but every time they seemed to be on the verge of cresting the playoff hill, their footing would give way and they slide all the way back down to the bottom. Do not fret about the end of the Wings season though my fellow Red Wings fans. The end of the regular season means the beginning of the playoffs for some and the beginning of the offseason dreaming for others. For the Wings this means the start of possibly the most important offseason they have had in long time. Key young players as RFAs, needs at several positions, exciting prospects possibly getting a legit shot at the roster out of camp and so much more. It could be hard to keep up with all the potential news this summer, so why not let your good friends at WIIM help you out with our 2018 Offseason Primer.
Think of this article as your one stop linkfest to all the comings and goings, wheelings and dealings around the team and the site this offseason. As the offseason progresses we will update the information below and provide the links to the WIIM articles details the changes, so make sure to check this article for updates periodically throughout the offseason.
IMPORTANT DATES
(Dates with an * are based off last year’s and will be updated when they are announced)
Stanley Cup Finals Begin – June 7, 2018
Amateur Draft Combine – May 27 – June 2, 2018
Amateur Draft June 22-23, 2018
Early Buyout Window – ~Jun 15, 2018 – June 30, 2018
NHL Awards Ceremony – June 20, 2018 – Hard Rock Casino, Las Vegas
Free Agency Opens – 12p ET July 1, 2018
Deadline for player-elected salary arbitration notification – 5p ET July 5, 2018
Deadline for team-elected salary arbitration notification – 5 p.m. ET July 6, 2018
Salary arbitration hearings – *July 20 – Aug 4, 2018
Deadline for salary arbitration decisions to be rendered – *Aug 6, 2018
Development Camp – June 26, 2018 – June 30, 2018
Prospect Tournament – *September 16, 2018 – September 20, 2018
Training Camp Begin – *September 23, 2018
RED WINGS CONTRACTS (31 Total)
Under Contract
FORWARDS (15)
Henrik Zetterberg, Frans Nielsen, Gustav Nyquist, Justin Abdelkader, Darren Helm, Luke Glendening, Luke Witkowski, Johan Franzen (LTIR), Evgeny Svechnikov, Michael Rasmussen, Dylan Sadowy, Christoffer Ehn, Givani Smith, Axel Holmstrom, Doninic Turgeon
DEFENSEMEN (14)
Danny DeKeyser, Niklas Kronwall, Jonathan Ericsson, Trevor Daley, Xavier Ouellet, Nick Jensen, Filip Hronek, Vili Saarjarvi, Joe Hicketts, Dennis Cholowski, Libor Sulak, Robbie Russo, Dylan McIlrath, Brian Lashoff
GOALTENDERS (2)
Jimmy Howard, Kaden Fulcher
Free Agents
FORWARDS (12)
Dylan Larkin, Anthony Mantha, Andreas Athanasiou, Tyler Bertuzzi, Martin Frk, Matt Puempel, David Booth, Ben Street, Eric Tangradi, Tuner Elson, Matt Lorito, Zach Nastasiuk
DEFENSEMEN (2)
Mike Green, Daniel Renouf
GOALTENDERS (3)
Matej Machovsky, Jared Coreau, Tom McCollum
AMATEUR DRAFT
Resuts
1st Round (6th) – Filip Zadina (F)
1st Round (30th) – Acquired February 26, 2018 from Las Vegas for Tomas Tatar – Joe Veleno (C)
2nd Round (33) – Jonatan Berggren (F)
2nd Round (36) – Acquired February 28, 2017 from Ottawa via New York Rangers for Brendan Smith – Jared McIsaac (D)
3rd Round (67) – Alec Regula (D)
3rd Round (81st) – Acquired February 19, 2018 from Philadelphia for Petr Mrazek – Seth Barton (D)
3rd Round (84th) – Acquired October 21, 2017 from Pittsburgh for Riley Sheahan – Jesper Eliasson (G)
4th Round (98) – Ryan O’Reilly (F)
5th Round (XX) – Traded October 21, 2017 to Pittsburgh with Riley Sheahan
6th Round (159) – Traded to Columbus for the Blue Jacket’s 2019 5th-round selection
6th Round (160) – Acquired March 1, 2017 from Montreal for Steve Ott – Victor Brattstrom (G)
7th Round (191) – Otto Kivenmaki (F)
FREE AGENCY
Restricted Free Agents (2017-18 cap hit) (9)
Dylan Larkin ($925,000)
Anthony Mantha ($863,333)
Andreas Athanasiou ($1,387,500)
Tyler Bertuzzi ($661,667)
Martin Frk ($650,000)
Daniel Renouf ($767,500)
Matej Machovsky ($742,500)
Matt Puempel ($725,000)
Zach Nastasiuk ($647,500)
Unrestricted Free Agents (2017-18 cap hit) (8)
David Booth ($700,000)
Mike Green ($6,000,000)
Ben Street ($650,000)
Eric Tangradi ($650,000)
Tuner Elson ($650,000)
Matt Lorito ($637,500)
Jared Coreau ($612,500)
Tom McCollum ($612,500)
David Pope (Unsigned Draft pick)
Free Agent Signings
Trade Rumors
SALARY CAP STATUS
Salary cap set at $79.5 million for 2018-19 NHL season. @swhyno https://t.co/2AVYTJ6Ju4
— AP Sports (@AP_Sports) June 22, 2018
