The Detroit Red Wings will likely be sellers at the NHL trade deadline barring a stunning turnaround. The Wings are at a crossroads and have some players that could net some coveted picks and prospects that will speed up the rebuilding process.
General manager Ken Holland has a few pieces that could bring back a nice return. Here are a few names that could be on their way out of the Motor City.
Detroit Red Wings Possible Trade Bait
Mike Green
The most valuable asset the Red Wings have is the two-time Norris Trophy nominee. Scoring defensemen of Green’s ilk are a sought-after commodity and Detroit could get a nice haul for him.
The Calgary native is tied for third on the team in points with 18 as of Tuesday. Nine of his points came on the power play, which is most on the team. Green is skilled at quarterbacking a power play and that ability will net the team a decent return.
Holland got a second and a third-round pick for Brendan Smith last year and Green should yield an even bigger haul.
Trevor Daley
The 34-year-old Toronto native only has a pair of assists and a minus-11, including a dreadful minus-4 on Dec. 9 against St. Louis, in 28 games played so far this season, but he’s still seen a valuable asset.
Daley has had been dealt twice, but never at the deadline. He could fetch a couple of later-round picks and/or prospects if his name comes up at the deadline. Daley only recently signed a three-year deal with a no-trade clause in the offseason. He has a minor cap hit of $3,166.667 per season.
He’d fit in on a contending that would be in need of some defensive depth. The length of his contract is the biggest impedement to a trade though, as he is not a pure rental.
Gustav Nyquist
The former fourth-round pick in the 2008 NHL Draft was looked on to be one of the go-to scorers with the recent youth movement. The Halmstad, Sweden native has eight goals and seven assists through 30 games this season.
Nyquist carries a $4.75 million cap hit that will run through the 2018-19 season. He also carries a no-trade clause and would have final say on where he’d end up. The organization also values having a Swedish connection that started all the way from Nicklas Lidstrom to now to Henrik Zetterberg. He’s the bridge to the next great Swedish player.
However, no player is untradeable. Ask P.K. Subban and Shea Weber about that. Nyquist has transitioned from a sniper to a playmaker and would fit onto a contending team’s top-six forwards. He would also net a nice haul of players, picks and prospects if Detroit decides to hit the reset button.
Jimmy Howard
This one might take a bit of work to do, but it could be possible if a team is willing to make it work. The Red Wings have a lot of money tied up in Howard and Petr Mrazek (Over $9 million according to Cap Friendly.)
Holland would love to get one of the large contracts off the books, but Howard makes more sense next season as a rental. The Syracuse, N.Y. native will be an unrestricted free agent after the 2018-19 campaign.
A team like the New York Islanders that have been let down so far by goaltending play would love to have a guy like Howard.
Petr Mrazek
The other Red Wings goalie has had a season to forget with a 3.73 goals-against-average and 2-4-1 record in 10 games. The 25-year-old Czech netminder was thought to be the future in Detroit, but that seems tenuous.
Mrazek will be an arbitration-eligible free agent at the end of the season, but he may not have earned the standard raise that one normally gets with their first non-entry-level deal.
There also might be a market to unload Mrazek to bolster a flagging Red Wings offence. Our own John Gove speculated that Mrazek could go to Edmonton as part of a package, in exchange for Ryan Nugent-Hopkins. That move may speed up the team’s rebuild and help the Oilers get some cap relief. Givent Mrazek’s depressed value though, there certainly would have to be significant pieces added to any such package.
That’s our list. Is there anyone else that you think could be dangled as trade bait for the Detroit Red Wings? Have your say below in the comments.
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