Everyone must be subject to review if Detroit wants to return to the glory days. With the Red Wings looking likely to miss out on the playoffs for a 6th straight season, selling some of the veteran players on expiring deals for draft capital is the only way to keep the rebuild afloat.
This has been a really disappointing year for the Detroit Red Wings.
I was really bullish on the Red Wings chances of making the playoffs this season as they not only got exponentially better in terms of their roster personnel in the offseason (or so I thought), but also some key teams in the Eastern Conference (again, or so I thought) seemed destined to drop out of the playoff race to give Detroit a chance to play meaningful Spring hockey again.
To my surprise, the complete opposite has happened.
Plagued by injuries, inconsistent play due to a young roster, poor goaltending (the highest SV% the best Detroit goalie has is currently just .901) and plain old bad luck, the Red Wings have found themselves slumped in 6th position in the Atlantic Division with 50 points at the halfway point of the season.
And, to make matters worse, teams like the Boston Bruins, Washington Capitals, Pittsburgh Penguins, and Tampa Bay Lightning, all teams thought to have regressed in the offseason, haven’t missed a beat and are still currently occupying the playoff spots Detroit was vying for. So, in other words, the Red Wings season couldn’t have gone much worse than what has transpired.
So, where does that leave the Red Wings in the trade deadline scenario?
Well, like I said, I don’t see why Steve Yzerman wouldn’t be a seller for one last trade deadline as there are some valuable depth pieces (and even a core player) on expiring contracts the Red Wings could ship off for multiple 1st and 2nd round picks in this year’s quality draft.
Adam Erne ($2.1M cap hit), Oskar Sundqvist ($2.75M cap hit), Pius Suter ($3.25M cap hit), Olli Matta ($2.25M), and Jordan Oesterle ($1.35M) are just some of the upcoming free agent depth pieces the Red Wings can sell to contending teams for high draft picks, while core players like Dylan Larkin ($6.1M) and Tyler Bertuzzi ($4.75M) are also set to hit the free agent market this summer.
Now, if I was Yzerman, there’s no way in hell I’d let Larkin hit the free agent market before July 1st, let alone trade him at the deadline. He’s far too talented and important for this young Detroit team as he not only is the leading point scorer, but he also is one of the longest serving members of the franchise. Plus, he’s the captain and the go-to leader.
He’s simply untradeable if the Red Wings want to make the playoffs in the next two seasons.
As for Erne, Sundqvist, Suter, Maata, and Oesterle, the Red Wings could reasonably get maybe 1 or 2 First Round picks, a few seconds, and a decent amount of 3rd-7th round picks for these players from desperate, all-in contenders/challengers. Every season there’s always a team willing to overpay at the deadline for depth players that realistically won’t make too much of a difference for their Stanley Cup run, and Yzerman is famous for ripping teams off with the moves he makes.
I’d be surprised if at least two of these players didn’t find themselves on the move.
Tyler Bertuzzi’s case is a little different given his status as a core player and his productivity when he’s healthy. When Bertuzzi is on the ice, he is one of Detroit’s best players as he had 30 goals and 62 points for the Red Wings last season, which put him as the second highest scorer behind Dylan Larkin.
However, Bertuzzi is notoriously injury prone as he’s only played in 17 games this season and has never played in a full 82 game schedule (the most games he’s played in a season thus far is 73), while he is also now 27 years old and in the peak of his career.
Given how the Red Wings aren’t likely to make the playoffs before he turns 29 at the very least (he turns 28 this February), the wisest move would be to move off him for a couple of 1st and 2nds round picks when his value will be inflated at the trade deadline. It’s harsh for a player who’s played his whole career in Detroit, but it’s not like Yzerman hasn’t traded away young players who were thought to be the “future” of the Red Wings before.
Remember Anthony Mantha?
Anyway, whatever Yzerman and the Red Wings do this trade deadline, it’s bound to be fascinating.
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