Detroit Red Wings Could Find Some Gritty Options From Their Rivals In Free Agency

The Detroit Red Wings need to course correct this regular season and find meaningful talent on rosters from their divisional rivals.

Yzerman made some mistakes, and signed players who have caused the Red Wings to regress, and could find some great talent in UFAs across the Atlantic Division.

Here are some players who could help upgrade the Red Wings' lineup, whether as a depth option or in the top or middle-six.

Sam Bennett is still competing as June begins. He and the Panthers have been a force to contend with in the NHL, and he's one of many puzzle pieces who have given the Panthers not only scoring depth with 51 points this season, but as a two-way player with some bite to his game.

Steve Yzerman should have him on his radar now.

The Red Wings' center depth is sorely lacking any responsible two-way players after Dylan Larkin. Gourde would be a great asset on the 2nd and 3rd line, as a playmaker, and has two Stanley Cups to his name.

He's a capable producer, scoring 13 points (13 A) in 21 games with the Lightning after he was traded there from the Kraken.

Nick Robertson's full potential hasn't been able to be tapped into due to the fact that he plays on a great team, the Maple Leafs. His limited time on ice, which averages 12 minutes a game, isn't giving him the kind of ability to develop that he needs, like we've seen Dylan Holloway do in St. Louis with the Blues.

He's got the motor to score goals, but is suffocated in the lineup with the logjam of Maple Leafs forwards. In Hockeytown, this wouldn't be an issue.

Koepke has proven to be a reliable fourth-wing option in Boston. As a bottom-six forward, he's scored 10 goals and 17 points with a terrible Bruins team. He's also not afraid of laying the body, as he's tallied 177 hits this year and could give the Wings an intimidation factor that's been missing.

Dvorak is long since past his prime, and rather than relying on him for scoring, they could use him for one purpose: the circle.

Dvorak is great at securing possession from face-offs, winning 53.1% of his battles this season. He put up 33 points in 82 games, which is respectable for a veteran winger who has over 500+ games of experience in the NHL.

Clague isn't a name you hear often from the Buffalo Sabres, considering Bowen Byram steals all the headlines. Kale Clague could be a solid option at 7th d and could be sent back down to Grand Rapids when times aren't tough.

Gilbert adds another intimidation factor that the Red Wings are lacking. He's not afraid of dropping the gloves, and could be another 7th d option for the Wings. He could be a physical weapon on the ice, punishing teams who bring the pain, when the Red Wings have no one capable of such things at the moment.