Report: How Yzerman and the Red Wings lost out on top free agent this offseason

According to a report from NHL insider James Mirtle, the Detroit Red Wings were preparing to make Aaron Ekblad a very rich man in free agency, had he made it there.

Ekblad, of course, signed an eight year contract extension worth $6.1 million per season with the Florida Panthers on the eve of free agency so he never made it to the open market. If he had though, Mirtle reports that the Red Wings were preparing to offer him much more than the $48 million deal he signed with Florida.

I know Detroit was pushing for some of the top potential UFAs this summer"; "Aaron Ekblad, in particular, could have signed for a much thicker average annual value in Michigan than the $6.1 million he took with Florida."

Oh, what could have been.

Just imagine how much better the Wings' lineup would look with a stud like Ekblad back there for eight seasons.

For our earlier report on the Red Wings, published yesterday by Hockey Feed staff writer Chris Gosselin, read below.

In recent years, the Detroit Red Wings have struggled to return to their former glory. After a disastrous 2019–20 season with a record of just 17 wins, 49 losses, and five overtime losses, the organization began a long rebuilding process under general manager Steve Yzerman.

While this era has been marked by gradual progress, the results have still fallen short.

In 2023–24, the Wings posted an encouraging 41-32-9 record, but missed the playoffs for the eighth consecutive year due to an unfavorable tiebreaker.

The 2024–25 season followed a similar path with Detroit finishing the year 39-35-8 with 86 points, extending the franchise’s worst-ever playoff drought to nine straight seasons.

Statistically, the team showed improvement in its winning percentage at one point, but quickly regressed over the course of the campaign.

One of the few bright spots was the power play, which ranked fourth best in the league that season. Unfortunately, the penalty kill was a complete disaster, posting an abysmal 70.1% success rate, good for dead last in the NHL.

On defense, there have been positive signs thanks to the duo of Moritz Seider and Simon Edvinsson, who excelled against top opponents. Still, the overall defensive structure remains flawed.

In an interview published on RG.org by Sergei Demidov, former Red Wings star and hockey legend Pavel Datsyuk reflected on the team’s long rebuild.

According to Datsyuk, the current roster lacks strong leaders, which could explain the struggle to reach the postseason.

“Perhaps what the team lacks is standout leaders – but that’s true not only for Detroit, it applies to hockey in general. Players are maturing more slowly these days, and some never mature at all, staying teenagers forever.”

However, despite that assessment, he didn’t hesitate to make a bold prediction, claiming the Red Wings will reach the Eastern Conference Final as soon as this season.

“Here’s my prediction – Detroit will reach the conference final. As for Florida, which has won two Stanley Cups, it will be hard to win a third in a row. I think it will be very difficult for them – partly because of the short summer, and also because motivation won’t be quite the same.”

Do you agree with the legend’s take that the Red Wings will be part of the NHL’s Final Four in the upcoming playoffs?