Elliotte Friedman reveals top free agent refused to sign with the Detroit Red Wings in free agency

The Detroit Red Wings missed out on top free agent Nikolaj Ehlers, who opted to move to the smaller-market team, the Carolina Hurricanes.

Ehlers signed for an $8.5 million AAV price tag for six years, after his 63-point (24-39) season in Winnipeg under Scott Arniel.

A troubling development for the Red Wings, who need all the help they can get on the left side of their top-six.

We can think of multiple reasons why Ehlers would go south rather than join the Red Wings in Hockeytown.

The Red Wings aren't currently playoff contenders in the NHL, making the prospect of even an original-six destination less sexy to top players, like Ehlers.

Ehlers is the latest forward, including Brock Boeser who Steve Yzerman missed out on, as surprisingly Boeser decided to stay with the Canucks after putting it out there he'd be leaving Vancouver.

Instead, if you look at projected lineups on DailyFaceOff.com, who is the LW1 position? James Van Riemsdyk.

While JVR still has some weapons left in his arsenal, it really shows how incompetent the team is at building a winner.

The team still has $12.08 million in cap space and could've easily afforded to sign Nikolaj Ehlers, but the will wasn't there on his end.

This isn't a place a player who wants to win will want to sign. It's a sign of a stagnant culture and a lack of winning prowess.

The Red Wings will miss out on 674 games of NHL experience, with 520 points (225-295) scored. Ehlers is one of the best even strength producers in the league.