Red Wings miss out on 30 goal scorer due to turmoil in Detroit.

To say that it has been a tumultuous offseason for the Detroit Red Wings so far would be a major understatement at this point, and now it sounds like it may have actually cost them.

The chaos began this summer when word got out that Red Wings captain Dylan Larkin had requested a trade out of Detroit, a demand that came after Larkin had played just 3 years on the 8 year deal he signed with the franchise. A trade involving Larkin has yet to materialize but what has happened has been the ousting of now former general manager Steve Yzerman, a decision that many believe may have been motivated at least in part by Larkin's trade demand.

While potentially keeping Larkin in the fold by pushing out Yzerman, a man Larkin reportedly has a frosty relationship with, may have been the right move it may have also had unintended consequences. A recent report in the Detroit Free Press has unveiled that the Red Wings missed out on a 30 goal scorer in free agency as a direct result of the timing of Yzerman's firing.

From Carlos Monarrez:

On the day Yzerman's removal was announced, assistant GM Shawn Horcoff had a deal in place with Anthony Mantha, but it fell through while [Chris] Ilitch deliberated.

Mantha would eventually sign with the New Jersey Devils at a very reasonable cap hit of $4.75 million per season, good value for a player coming off 33 goals and 31 assists for 64 points in 81 games last season. That is especially true given some of the contracts handed out this summer, and it will be a tough pill to swallow for a Red Wings team that saw its offense take a hit this summer.

The Red Wings lost veteran forwards Patrick Kane and James van Riemsdyk to free agency this summer and those two combined for a total of 88 points for the Red Wings this past season. The Red Wings could surely have used a player like Mantha, especially at such a reasonable cap hit, to help replace some of the offense they have lost.

That will become even more true should Larkin's trade request be honored before the start of the season.