from Ted Kulfan of the Detroit News,
The Wings, though showing signs of improvement, simply aren’t ready to add big-name, big-salary free agents at this stage of the rebuild. Nor would many certain free agents want to be Wings, at this stage, instead for looking playoff-ready teams....
Goaltender Jonathan Bernier and forward Luke Glendening are near certainties to return. Bernier has been arguably one of the Wings’ best players over the last two seasons, and he forms a good tandem with goaltender Thomas Greiss.
Glendening is a leader on the young team and is one of the best players in the face-off circle in the NHL....
- Ian Cole, defenseman, Minnesota (one goal, seven assists in 2020-21): The Ann Arbor native is 32 and coming off a good season with the Wild, but they’ll have only so much money left over to spend. Cole will likely look toward a contender first, but the left-shot defenseman would be a fit with the Wings.
- Alex Goligoski, defenseman, Arizona (three goals, 19 assists): Goligoski, 35, might be the type of veteran who slips through the cracks and becomes available later in the summer. He's the type of defenseman who the Wings can then sign and flip at the trade deadline.
- Mattias Janmark, center, Vegas, (11 goals, 13 assists): A former Wings’ draft pick dealt to Dallas in 2015 in the Erik Cole trade, Janmark has had a steady career and played very well in Vegas as a rental. Janmark, 28, might have earned himself a multi-year deal with his performance this season.
more (paid), Kulfan also lists dmen Jon Merrill, Ryan Murray, Patrik Nemet and centers/forwards Tomas Nosek, Jordan Oesterle, Jaden Schwartz, Tomas Tatar and Alex Wennberg.
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