Yzerman recaps beginning of 2025 NHL Free Agency, Red Wings’ offseason so far

DETROIT – Last Thursday, Executive Vice President and General Manager Steve Yzerman met with the media to discuss the first few days of 2025 NHL Free Agency, among other pressing topics, at Little Caesars Arena.

The Red Wings checked off several boxes before the market officially opened, re-signing defenseman prospect Antti Tuomisto to a one-year, two-way contract extension on June 26 before re-upping blueliner William Lagesson to a two-year deal on June 27.

Then, on Day 2 of this year’s NHL Entry Draft (June 28), Detroit acquired goalie John Gibson from the Anaheim Ducks in exchange for netminder Petr Mrazek as well as a 2027 second-round pick and a 2026 fourth-round selection.

Last Monday (June 30) was also busy for the Red Wings, who traded forward Vladimir Tarasenko to the Minnesota Wild in exchange for future considerations. The club also re-signed defenseman Albert Johansson to a two-year contract extension and agreed to terms on fresh one-year deals with forwards Jonatan Berggren and Patrick Kane.

Last Tuesday saw Detroit sign two defensemen --- Ian Mitchell and Jacob Bernard-Docker --- and two forwards -- James van Riemsdyk and John Leonard – each to one-year free-agent contracts. And last Wednesday, the Red Wings re-signed forward Elmer Soderblom to a two-year extension and inked forward Mason Appleton to a two-year free-agent deal.

“Today, I think our team is a little bit more competitive,” Yzerman said. “Maybe constructed a little better than it was at this stage last year, so I’m hopeful that we take a step…Overall, I think we’re a little bit better. How many points does that translate to in the season? We’re going to find out.”

Regarding this summer’s free-agent market, Yzerman said he wasn’t surprised that the talent pool had thinned by the time it was 12 p.m. ET last Tuesday.

“Going into free agency, we all recognized that it was going to be difficult all around the League,” Yzerman said. “For whatever reason, there weren’t as many what we would all consider high-end free agents available this year. So, it wasn’t really a shock to us that we weren’t able to get anything done with any of the bigger-name guys.”

But that didn’t prevent Detroit from complementing its already-talented core.

“Jacob Bernard-Docker gives us a little bit of depth on defense,” Yzerman said. “Not a big-name signing but has been an effective player in his time in Ottawa in particular. He plays hard and competes…Up front with JVR, on the left wing, bigger body…Mason Appleton as well, a right winger that plays on the penalty kill and chips in a little bit of offense.”

And the offseason isn’t over yet. So, even with these new faces being added to the mix, Yzerman said the Red Wings will continue exploring opportunities to improve the roster.

“It’s just been my experience over the years that things kind of work themselves out,” Yzerman said. “Opportunities arise. You try to force it or chase it, there’s too many years, too many dollars or you give up too much in a trade…Trying to be diligent, maybe patient, just wait for the right player, the right opportunity, whether it is in a trade or in free agency, to add to our lineup and use our assets wisely if we can.”

Being strategic and staying level-headed certainly applies when considering the extra salary cap space Detroit has, according to Yzerman.

“We have plenty of cap space to do a lot of different things,” Yzerman said. “The most important thing is to find players that fit. What we could use right now is a defenseman, a top four, and preferably a right shot. But it doesn’t have to be a right shot because we can move these guys around a little bit, but that would be our biggest potential need.”

But for the Red Wings to ultimately get to where they want to go in 2025-26, improvement must also come from within.

“I don’t want to rule out anybody coming in, having a really strong preseason and forcing us to take a longer look to see how they start at the regular season,” Yzerman said. “That’s a possibility for several players…We’ve got 12 players signed right now. Our debate is do we sign another one to have that 13th forward? Or do we leave that spot open and see if something comes up here over the summer? Or leave it open and let all those guys earn that spot?”