According to David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period, as discussed on Wednesday’s episode of the Daily Faceoff Rundown, the Detroit Red Wings are actively looking to add another center into the lineup and have been for quite some time.
This would make sense as they are likely looking for more options up the middle as J.T. Compher has had a lackluster start to the season with no points and a -1 rating through a heavy 17 minutes per game and is losing more often than not on the face-off dot with a 38.7 winning percentage on draws. He mixes in with forward Andrew Copp, who is having a better start to the season with a goal and an assist through four games but is also suffering on draws with a worse 37.5 success rate.
Now face-offs aren’t the most important aspects of Compher and Copp’s game but the two can both switch out to the wing and allow a new third line center to enter the fold. This would also give the team flexibility if top line center Dylan Larkin or second line option Marco Kasper go down with an injury.
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If we look to contending teams like the Edmonton Oilers, they have soild depth with Trent Frederic or Adam Henrique able to draw into the role or the Vegas Golden Knights, who have a former 43-goal scorer in William Karlsson as their third line center. If the Red Wings want to keep up with the big dogs, they’ll need to shift players like Compher or Copp into less meaningful roles like onto the fourth line and add another center in the same tier as a Karlsson or Henrique.
The Red Wings would have more than enough cap space at $11.8 million to facilitate any sort of deal they’d want to make when it comes to adding a depth center and have plenty of assets like draft capital and high-end prospects they could pick from to bring in an impactful player that will help Detroit in their chase for a playoff spot.
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A sensible target for the Red Wings could be Calgary Flames captain Mikael Backlund. As he enters the final year of his contract, Backlund represents a potential low-cost rental with plenty to prove. Playing alongside strong linemates like Andrew Copp and J.T. Compher could help him thrive offensively.
Backlund is a reliable center, currently leading the league with 55 faceoff wins and boasting an impressive 59.1% success rate. He’s also a key contributor on the penalty kill which Detroit needs to strengthen after finishing with the league’s worst unit last season. Backlund is an older 36 years old and may not offer significantly more scoring than Copp or Compher. However, his defensive awareness and two-way metrics make him an appealing short-term addition as an affordable rental option for Detroit as they push for a playoff spot.
Another option could be New York’s Jean-Gabriel Pageau as a consistent 40-point scorer that is very strong on the face-off dot with a 63.6 winning percentage, which is top ten among centers that have taken 30 or more draws this season.
Pageau, like Backlund, plays meaningful minutes on the penalty kill and even plays for the top unit compared to Backlund, who mans the second. Pageau is also a rental option on the final year of his six-year pact with the Islanders but at 32 years old, he could be brought back for a few more years if the fit is a good one in the Motor City.
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