As 2024 NHL Entry Draft and free agency near, Yzerman remains focused on building Red Wings into sustainable contender

DETROIT -- While preparing for the 2024 NHL Entry Draft on Friday and Saturday at Sphere in Las Vegas, Detroit Red Wings Executive Vice President & General Manager Steve Yzerman and his staff are readying for free agency, which opens next Monday, July 1, at Noon ET.

After signing prospect Albert Johansson to a one-year, two-way contract on June 19, the Red Wings currently have five pending restricted free agents – Lucas Raymond, Joe Veleno and Moritz Seider, as well as prospects Jonatan Berggren and Jared McIsaac – and six pending unrestricted free agents – Shayne Gostisbehere, Patrick Kane, Christian Fischer, David Perron, Daniel Sprong and goalie James Reimer.

Yzerman said the Red Wings are taking a tactical approach into free agency.

“Our goal is to build a team that can be sustainable, a playoff contender,” Yzerman said in a pre-draft Zoom call with the media last Friday. “We’ll stick with that. We’ll continue in free agency, whether it’s with our own free agents or others, to be selective and try to address certain needs. Both restricted and unrestricted free agents, I’ve been in contact with everyone.”

Yzerman said it could be difficult retaining all of Detroit’s unrestricted free agents under the NHL salary cap.

“Ultimately, it’s going to come down to term and dollar,” Yzerman said. “We have to make this all fit. I think it’s safe to say Lucas and Moritz, their contracts are going to go up significantly. That’s going to take up a major portion of our cap and I have to be aware of that. I have to plan for that, so that will limit what we do in other areas.”

When asked about contract discussions for Raymond and Seider, Yzerman said he expects both deals to get done but doesn’t anticipate either player signing new contracts with the Red Wings before they become restricted free agents next Monday.

Raymond, Detroit’s No. 4 overall pick in the 2020 NHL Entry Draft, recorded a team-high 72 points (31 goals, 41 assists) in 82 games this season. As for Seider, selected sixth overall by the Red Wings in 2019, he tallied 42 points (nine goals, 33 assists) in 82 games this season.

“We can’t force anything,” Yzerman said. “(Contracts for Seider and Raymond) will get done in due time. I prefer to have them done, but to be quite honest, I don’t anticipate that happening at this stage. We’ll just work around it and make decisions along the way.”

Yzerman also talked about the club’s goaltending outlook for the 2024-25 campaign, reiterating his objective as General Manager is to improve the club at every position.

“We will look at the goalie market and if something makes sense for us to do what we think improves us, whether that be via trade or free agency, we’re not opposed to doing that,” Yzerman said. “Having said that, I don’t anticipate using prime assets, whatever you would consider those to be, to go out and acquire an older goaltender that might not be here in two, three or four years.”

The Red Wings rostered three goalies this season, with Alex Lyon, Ville Husso and Reimer combining for a 3.17 goals-against average, .902 save percentage and four shutouts in 82 games.

Yzerman said he hopes Husso, who played just 19 games this season because of multiple lower-body injuries, can bounce back in 2024-25.

“Ville's season was kind of a write-off just due to injury and we can't be overly critical of that,” Yzerman said. “Ville didn't like it. We didn't like it, but it happened. So we're hoping he rebounds, and when he's been healthy, he's been good for us. I think Alex played a bigger role than any of us expected, and he and James were part of the reason we were in the playoff race down the stretch.”

For coverage of the 2024 NHL Entry Draft from Sphere in Las Vegas, stay tuned to DetroitRedWings.com all weekend.