Slew Of Red Wings Depth Players Could Leave In Offseason

Whether or not the Detroit Red Wings sneak into the final wildcard spot in the East in the final game of the regular season, there are going to be changes at the bottom of the lineup in the offseason.

General manager Steve Yzerman made a number of moves this past offseason and made the Red Wings a contender at least. This was the season where the trio of the Red Wings, Ottawa Senators, and Buffalo Sabres all took steps forward. Detroit was the only one of them to do so. If the Red Wings make it into the postseason, they still aren't expected to make it very deep. This team is on the rise and even though it might not be their time just yet, it should be coming.

With that being said, some depth pieces were brought in last summer, some doing the trick and others not performing up to expectations. There are four individuals in particular that the Red Wings could say goodbye to after the season - Daniel Sprong, Zach Aston-Reese, Christian Fischer, and Austin Czarnik. All four are UFAs at the end of the season and make up four of the eight UFAs the team has to deal with in the offseason.

Sprong is the player that the Red Wings should look at keeping the most, but as every team so far has done to him, he's played on the fourth line despite producing like a middle-six forward. Sprong, despite scoring 17+ goals and 40+ points in back-to-back seasons in the NHL, is averaging just 12 minutes per game. He got a $2 million contract for this season, but it doesn't seem like there's much room to move up in Detroit. They have the money to extend him for what he may want, but will they?

The other three have been alright or had minimal impact. Those players can be replaced internally or externally. They aren't the biggest concern and the Red Wings could get more production from different players in those roles next season.