The Fan Hub

The Detroit Red Wings and free agent defenseman Ryan Suter seemed like a match made in heaven. Detroit needs a top pairing defenseman to take over for the retired Nicklas Lidstrom, and had oodles of cap space to accommodate Suter, who would have gotten to be the highest paid defenseman in the league while playing for the most successful franchise of the past 20 years. Alas, the 27-year-old All-Star elected to join Zach Parise in Minnesota, leaving the Red Wings wondering what to do next.

The annual cap hit of $7,538,462 over the next 13 years is likely more than Detroit wanted to dole out, but they still can’t help but be disappointed. Their blue line still needs some serious reinforcements with the departures of Lidstrom and Brad Stuart, and there certainly aren’t any defensemen left on the market who are anywhere near the level of Suter. Instead, GM Ken Holland will likely go after some second- or third- tier veteran free agents on shorter deals (i.e. Michal Rozsival, Pavel Kubina) and save some cap space to potentially make a run at Shea Weber next season.

But without pursuit of a big defenseman, look for the Wings to turn their attention to bolstering their forward corps. Though Suter was priority number one, Parise was a close second, and Detroit has some far more attractive options to pursue on the offensive end. Alexander Semin and Shane Doan are still available, and don’t be surprised if the Wings jump into the Rick Nash trade waters. However, with a roster that’s already one of the oldest in the league, it’s unlikely that the Wings will be willing to part with the type of young players and picks that it will take to lure the big winger away from the Blue Jackets.

— Craig Lowell