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possible blue line upgrades in Hamonic or Brodie (as well as the unlikely acquisition of Krug) were the topic in my last post. Thanks to my fantastic comment section, all eyes have stayed on Vancouver, but this time it is in net.
Demko and Markstrom are both going to be in the rumor mill at this time. Ek pointed out that Detroit and Toronto have both been interested in Markstrom. Vancouver has been keen to try and keep the netminder. The problem, as a reader pointed out, is the deal that the UFA goalie will likely want. It’s probably a bit higher than Detroit would want to go.
Demko could be an option via trade, but the readers have spoken. Leave McIsaac out of any deal at this point. Detroit is suffering from the defensive version of “anemia” and McIsaac’s potential put’s him as a top left handed prospect.
The question at this point isn’t “should Detroit upgrade in net”? The real question is, “wouldn’t it be impossible not to?” Jimmy Howard’s SV% of .882 and GAA of 4.2 with 27 games played (2-23) would be tough not to beat. Yes, defensive structure didn’t do him any favors at all. Still, the only goalies with a worse GAA (there are 7) played either 6 games, 3 games or 1 game.
Whether by trade or signing, it would be near impossible not to have some noticeable difference between the pipes. It was painfully bad last year. Corey Schneider played only 13 games and had 1 more win. A 3.83 GAA and .887 sv% from the waived New Jersey Devil would have been an improvement. That is not a pleasant reality.
Yzerman can upgrade the position in a multitude of ways without overpaying or giving up any assets. Next year will still be rough. Detroit went 17-49-5. The team could double its wins and still finish in the bottom three. That would be a step forward, but shows how far things have to go.
It may be harsh, but if Detroit hits 65 points it will be a good sign that things are going in the right direction. I will be glad to be wrong about that. I guessed last year that they wouldn’t break 60. I never dreamed they wouldn’t hit 40. Yes it was a shortened season, but still.
So, is there a desired low term, reasonable salary upgrade you’re looking for? Who would you bring in to help the team develop? Let me know, and have a great weekend!
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