The giddiness of their nine-goal opening weekend dissipated within two weeks. As the losses mounted, the Detroit Red Wings were thoroughly exposed as a team that struggled to score, reliant almost exclusively on one line.
When the NHL paused the season March 12 because of the coronavirus pandemic, they averaged a league-worst 2.00 goals per game, more than half a goal worse than 30th-place Los Angeles' 2.53 average. Of the 142 goals the Wings scored in 71 games, almost 50% were accounted for by four forwards: Tyler Bertuzzi (21 goals), Dylan Larkin (19), Anthony Mantha (16) and Robby Fabbri (14).
General manager Steve Yzerman has a monumental task in the months ahead for the Wings to enter next season with a chance to be at least marginally better.
They need a defenseman other than Filip Hronek with the skill to get the puck to the forwards. Moritz Seider, a first-round pick from 2019, may fit that bill, but that's a lot to ask of a 19-year-old. Dennis Cholowski, a first-round pick from 2016, is another candidate, but he flunked when he had the chance to step up this season.
They need a goaltender to replace Jimmy Howard. Jonathan Bernier consistently gave his teammates a chance to win from mid-December on, but even with solid goaltending, the Wings struggled to win, thwarted by their inability to score.
They were stymied by the lack of depth and by injuries to forwards including Mantha, Filip Zadina and Andreas Athanasiou (who was traded at the deadline). Larkin and Bertuzzi were the only skaters not to miss a game.
Yzerman has numerous restricted free-agent forwards to sign, headlined by Mantha, Bertuzzi and Fabbri. Adam Erne had just five points in 56 games, but he has the skills to produce more _ possibly in the 10-goal, 20-point range _ and he plays with energy and finishes his checks.
Likewise newcomer Dmytro Timashov, acquired at the trade deadline, looked like he had some skill with the puck. Sam Gagner, a trade-deadline acquisition who is unrestricted, could be a fit on a one-year deal _ he's a good locker room guy, and could be waived if a better option materializes.
Next season's salary cap has yet to be determined, but given the uncertainty about finishing the season, it is likely either to remain the same as this season's $81.5 million upper limit, or contract. The Wings have roughly $43 million allotted toward contracts for next season, which including those of Larkin, Frans Nielsen, Justin Abdelkader, Darren Helm, Valtteri Filppula and Luke Glendening.
Abdelkader (22 points in 120 games the past two seasons) could find himself on waivers if he doesn't show something during next season's camp.
Evgeny Svechnikov, a first-round pick from 2015, is no longer waiver exempt and should compete with Abdelkader for a job. The 23-year-old missed 2018-19 recovering from knee surgery, and endured something of a frustrating 2019-20 season, posting 11 goals and 14 assists in 51 games with the Grand Rapids Griffins, and no points in four games with the Wings.
The order for the 2020 draft has yet to be determined, too, but under current lottery rules the Wings will pick no worse than fourth overall. Alexis Lafreniere, Tim Stutzle and Quinton Byfield are projected as the top forwards, but even as hyped a talent as Jack Hughes, the No. 1 pick in 2019, contributed just 21 points in 61 games as a rookie for the New Jersey Devils. Kaapo Kakko, drafted behind Hughes, had 23 points in 66 games for the New York Rangers.
If Yzerman chooses to use free agency to add a forward with some scoring power, here are options that could fit under a shorter-term, circa $4 million or less annual range.
