1 Player Red Wings Must Sign in NHL Free Agency

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The Detroit Red Wings should sign this free agent defenseman once the market opens on July 1.

The Detroit Red Wings are looking to make a splash in NHL Free Agency. There are a number of positions the team could address once the market opens. For instance, they need a top-six forward, even if veteran winger Patrick Kane returns for the 2025-26 season.

However, perhaps a more pressing need is on the blueline. Detroit has the talent to score goals, especially at the top of the lineup. Some scoring depth certainly should be added. In terms of a make-or-break need, though, it may be the team’s defense.

The Red Wings have their top two defenseman in Moritz Seider and Simon Edvinsson. Beyond those two, however, the depth is quite spotty. Albert Johansson showed some flashes in his rookie season. Ben Chiarot has been inconsistent. Justin Holl is a buyout candidate, and Jeff Petry is a free agent.

Overall, there is room for the Red Wings to add a defenseman this offseason. They could turn to the trade market, where names like K’Andre Miller and Bowen Byram could make some sense. If they strikeout on the trade market, though, there is one name that Detroit needs to pursue in NHL Free Agency.

Los Angeles Kings defenseman Vladislav Gavrikov is likely to reach the open market. New general manager Ken Holland has hoped to sign him. But with about two weeks left until free agency opens, a new deal seems unlikely. And the Red Wings should pounce as soon as the festivities get started on July 1.

What Vladislav Gavrikov Could Bring to Red Wings

Luke Hales/Getty ImagesLos Angeles Kings defenseman Vladislav Gavrikov could be exactly what the Detroit Red Wings need.

Gavrikov is not the best offensive producer from the point. He did score five goals and 30 points for the Kings in 2024-25. However, his career high for points is 33, and his career high goal total is six. The Red Wings won’t be worried about point production too much, though.

Detroit needs a defensively minded presence in its top-four. Seider and Edvinsson do well to hold things down in the top four, of course. But they can’t do it alone, and that’s where Gavrikov comes in.

The Kings defenseman has emerged as one of the best defensive defensemen in hockey over the last two seasons. He has nearly 11 Defensive Goals Above Replacement since the beginning of 2023-24, according to Evolving Hockey. Moreover, he is worth 2.6 Wins Above Replacement in that span.

Compared to Red Wings defenders, Gavrikov is on another level. The best defensive presence they have had, according to Evolving Hockey, is Olli Määttä. However, Määttä was traded to the Utah Mammoth during the 2024-25 season.

Overall, Gavrikov is a defensively responsible defenseman, and he’s one of the best in the game. It’s going to cost a pretty penny to sign him in NHL Free Agency. But the Red Wings have the means, and they have the need to pull it off.

Detroit Looking to Build Continued Success

The Red Wings have missed the Stanley Cup Playoffs in each of the last nine seasons. However, Detroit is not looking to make the postseason for the sake of it. They want to build a sustainable program in the Motor City, something similar to their run for much of the 1990s and 2000s.

“We’re building a nucleus of a good team with the idea that this team is going to win. I don’t measure success by making the playoffs one year and bowing out the next year. I consider it being continued success — that you’re in and expected to be in the playoffs, you’re trying to win and aiming for Stanley Cups. That’s what we’re trying to do here,” Red Wings general manager Steve Yzerman said at the end of the season, via team beat reporter Jonathan Mills.

Signing Gavrikov is a major step toward returning this team to its former glory. He won’t bring them back from a rebuilding state all on his own. But his signing would put the Red Wings one all-too-important step closer to fulfilling Yzerman’s vision.

Tristin McKinstry Tristin has over 10 years experience writing at various blogs. He has spent the last three years gaining professional experience in the sports media world. He currently works with ClutchPoints and Pro Football & Sports Network alongside Heavy Sports. More about Tristin McKinstry