Detroit Red Wings' Mike Babcock to take advantage of offseason, free agency to boost team -NHL Update
Being eliminated in the opening round of the 2012 National Hockey League (NHL) Stanley Cup Western Conference Playoffs was certainly a disappointment and an eye opener for Detroit Red Wings head coach, Mike Babcock.
Detroit has always been regarded as an elite NHL team but failing to get anywhere near the Stanley Cup Finals for the past three years now, Red Wings are definitely falling from that rank.
Red Wings are a loaded team when it comes to money talk and now, after being checked to reality by Nashville Predators, who swept Detroit in a 4-1 series, Mike Babcock has finally decided to utilise his numerous resources to boost the team.
"We have tons of money and if we can use our cap space to get high-end free agents, we have a shot to get right back on top," Babcock said in a telephone interview with The Associated Press on Sunday. "If we're fortunate in free agency, we won't have to
look at going in another direction.
They might have some of the best defensemen in the league like Nicklas Lidstrom and some of the best players like Darren Helm and Henrik Zetterberg, but Detroit continues to fall short due to not having any younger players being given significant time on
the ice.
Lidstrom might be retiring this year and with him gone, Detroit will need to work their magic in order to fill the huge gap left by him.
Now, with more than enough time in the offseason to make some moves including acquiring talent in the free agency, Detroit’s Mike Babcock is planning on getting the Red Wings back into Stanley Cup contending form.
“The standard here has always been to chase the Stanley Cup, so as a coach, I’m hoping the free-agent market helps us continue to have those goals,” Babcock added.
Getting a quality backup to Jimmy Howard would also be a to-do on their list during the offseason along with acquiring some shooting power to level the team off.
It will definitely be exciting to see how Detroit Red Wings rebuild under Mike Babcock and what sort of difference it will make when the 2012-2013 regular season kicks off.
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