What Do The Red Wings Do Now?

With the start of free agency right around the corner, I thought that general manager Ken Holland would want a handy-dandy reference sheet to guide his decision-making.

Reference Sheet Rules:

The separation of players into different categories is based on the following:

• Reported asking price by player compared to estimated value by Matt Cane’s free-agent model
• Performance Tier Probabilities from Domenic Galamini’s HERO Charts available at ownthepuck.blogspot.ca
• Positional need for the Red Wings
• Hypothesis as to what it would take to trade for a player

The categories available:

• Do ittttttt – Players in this category are absolute MUST signs as their performance will significantly exceed the contract value they receive
• Not the worst idea – You’ll clench your teeth, and this deal may ultimately come back to bite you, but it is not the ABSOLUTE worst thing in the world
• Ok, that’s probably a bad idea – You’ll clench your teeth, wind up to punch a wall, but stop just short. You’ll get through it, but it won’t be pretty.
• Ok, that’s DEFINITELY a bad idea – You’ll punch through a wall and throw your lamp out the window. Your cries of anguish will alert those around you of your feelings
• For the love of God, are you stupid? – There are no words. Some people just want to watch the world burn.
• Potentially Low-Risk Depth Signings – If Plan B and C does come around, these are guys who might be cost-effective signings and can play 2nd/3rd line minutes. /

NOTE: This is my personal opinion as to how the Red Wings should approach free agency and trades this offseason. I have elected not to include the current Red Wings RFA’s as I don’t want discussion to deviate too severely. Don’t agree with my thoughts? Share your ideas with us in the comments section and why you agree or disagree with the reference sheet provided!

Which unrestricted free agent offers Detroit the best “bang for their buck”?