Detroit Red Wings Players Eligible for a Contract Extension After July 1

Free agency has hit the NHL, and there will be plenty of movement. Some movement will be made by teams signing their own RFAs, while other teams will assume the actions of signing other free agents.

The Detroit Red Wings will likely be active this year but have some players to take care of on their own. The Red Wings do have $26,506,944 in projected cap space to spend, however, some of the players listed below are due for a raise.

The Detroit Red Wings will look to lock up their young stars.

Moritz Seider

Seider became an NHL defenseman as soon as he hit the ice. He did not take long in adjusting to the NHL style of play and played extremely well in his rookie year, winning the 2021-2022 Calder Trophy as the top rookie.

His sophomore season started a bit slow, but by the all-star break, he was back to his old ways. The Red Wings need to lock him up to a long-term deal. He has size, plays a physical game, adds offense, plays solid defense, and is only 22 years old.

It is not often that a defenseman comes into the league and takes it by storm. He is a generational talent that the Red Wings can build around.

In his career, Seider has 12 goals and 80 assists for 92 points, and 74 penalty minutes, in 164 games played. His last contract was a three-year deal with an AAV of $1.775. Expect Seider to get a lengthy extension with an AAV between $8-9 million.

Lucas Raymond

Raymond came into the NHL just like Seider and blew the doors off of Little Caesars Arena. A smaller player, he came into the Detroit lineup and played with emotion and gave it the secondary scoring that it desperately needed.

He fit well on the top line with captain Dylan Larkin, but at times, has been assigned to the second line during some line shuffling. Raymond needs to be re-signed to a long-term deal because he gives the Detroit Red Wings the goal-scoring they need going forward.

He can play a regular shift along with the top power play unit. Raymond will be an important offensive piece as the Red Wings get closer to playoff contention. Going forward, this Detroit team has Seider and Raymond as the centerpieces.

For his career, Raymond has 40 goals and 62 assists for 102 points in 156 games. While Seider may get a significant raise, Raymond might not get the three-year contract with an AAV of $3.425 million contract he did entering the league. He may be looking for a four-year deal, with an AAV of around $5 million.

David Perron

When Perron was signed last offseason, he signed a deal that was for two years and an AAV of $4.75 million. He did play well during his only season in Detroit and supplied the offense that was expected of him.

During the 2022/2023 season, he had 24 goals and 32 assists for 56 points in 82 games.  Perron had a leadership role that he used to give the young players advice on how to adjust to the NHL way of life.

Perron could make his way back to the Red Wings but at a lower AAV. A two-year deal with an AAV of $3 million may be what is offered to him.

Dominik Kubalik

Kubalik came into Detroit as a free agent, signing a two-year deal with an AAV of $2.5 million and became its leading scorer shortly into the season. Kubalik played 81 games last season, registering 20 goals and 25 assists for 45 points.

He struggled in the second half of last season, and that may have cost him a spot on the 2022/2023 Red Wings. To me, he does not get signed and finds a new home.

Michael Rasmussen

Rasmussen came into his own last season before he got injured. He was a bull on skates, hitting everything that moved while supplying offense from the third line. He struggled his first year in the NHL but worked on his game and came into last season as a completely different player.

He almost doubled his offense, his skating was much better, and he played a more physical role. Last season, Rasmussen played 56 games, totaling 10 goals and 19 assists for 29 points.

His last contract was a three-year deal with an AAV of $1.46 million. Look for him to get a similar deal around three years but a raise to around $3 million per year.

Jonatan Berggren

Berggren made his NHL debut last season and looked comfortable in the lineup. At times during the season, he showed flashes of what he can do for the Red Wings. He played a well-rounded game and, for a youngster, performed well.

He did have games where he did not play as well, but he is still young and can adapt. During his rookie campaign, Berggren scored 15 goals and 13 assists for 28 points in 67 games.

Berggren is another young player that Detroit can build around and he will be in the Red Wings lineup for the foreseeable future as part of the young core. Berggren’s first NHL deal was a three-year, $925,000 deal. He could be getting something similar in his next deal.