Done Deal: The Red Wings have finally concluded the signing of contract with two golden players and will lose one of their key player, ahead of the Trade Deadline
Now that the resurgent Red Wings are well in contention, they need to make at least one big trade to fix some problems before Friday’s trade deadline.
As strong contenders in 2024, the Detroit Red Wings need to look at not just any buying option, but strong ones that can help this team win in 2025 and beyond. And no, that is not a typo, because the Red Wings can afford more than just the typical rental piece, so why not ‘buy’ quality players they may realistically sign to extensions, especially with the amount of cap space they will have next year?
Sure, general manager Steve Yzerman would need to look ahead and consider extensions for players like Patrick Kane, Moritz Seider, and Daniel Sprong, among others. But even with those inevitable transactions eating up cap space, Yzerman should have plenty left over for the players listed in today’s article.
Red Wings can solve multiple issues at the trade deadline by buying two players
Despite taking a shutout loss to the Florida Panthers over the weekend, it shouldn’t throw the high-octane Red Wings off-track, and they should be more than ready to roll now that we are officially in Trade Deadline Week. However, defense and goaltending continue to haunt Detroit, and as of March 3rd, they are 21st in the NHL with 195 goals allowed, and 3.2 per game.
Their goaltending and defense are two variables they can and must change in a single deadline, considering their ample cap space, along with what they can spend at the deadline. So, which (rather expensive) players should Yzerman target at some point this week before the Friday deadline, and which prospect should be the top name he wouldn’t mind selling?
Yes, one of the players listed below will require Detroit to trade away at least one of their better prospects. However, there are a few on the “untouchable” list who shouldn’t go anywhere, so they won’t be listed below. But there is one up-and-comer who must be expendable.
RED MORE…
The Detroit Red Wings should be aggressive before Friday’s trade deadline
Steve Yzerman and the Detroit Red Wings will have a few difficult decisions to make ahead of Friday’s trade deadline.
General manager Steve Yzerman and the Detroit Red Wings find themselves in a unique position just days away from Friday’s (March 8) NHL trade deadline. During Yzerman’s entire tenure with the Red Wings, he’s been looking to sell this time of year. I am not confident that Detroit will suddenly become aggressive buyers, but a calculated addition such as a gritty defenseman or a physical depth forward wouldn’t be the worst idea. Yzerman also may elect not to do anything at all, understanding that the team isn’t quite ready to compete for a championship, and giving up future assets for a rental doesn’t seem logical. But maybe the Red Wings will decide to go the old addition-by-subtraction route.
The Detroit Red Wings learned a lot over the weekend following their 4-0 loss at home to the mighty Florida Panthers. Paul Maurice’s club is the definition of a playoff team. They compete at a high level and are incredibly physical and deep up front. Plus, like all Maurice teams, the Panthers play sound defense. The Panthers rolled into Detroit and, quite frankly, beat them up. It reminded many of Detroit’s two-game road trip to Ottawa a week or so ahead of the trade deadline last year, but the two situations are not comparable.
The Senators imposed their will on the Red Wings, but they weren’t really a good team; this Panther team enjoyed a trip to the Stanley Cup finals last season and many have pegged them, as the favorite to represent the Eastern Conference again this year. If not for an Alex DeBrincat shot that rang off the pipe, a Patrick Kane breakaway attempt that Sergei Bobrovsky turned aside, and a disallowed goal after Michael Rasmussen knocked the two-time Vezina winner down moments before J.T. Compher scored, the Red Wings may have been able to ride some of that momentum into the second half of the game when Florida seemingly took over.
The Detroit Red Wings will have an interesting decision to make ahead of the trade deadline.
I’ve previously mentioned that I’d like to see the Red Wings add a defenseman who plays with a bit of an edge. That is still on my wishlist as a fan. Still, it would need to be someone with a term remaining or willing to negotiate a contract extension that Yzerman feels is fair and in line with his overall vision of the organization moving forward.
On the other hand, addition by subtraction doesn’t seem like the worst idea, either. The Detroit Red Wings had been rumored to be shopping defenseman Justin Holl, who has fallen out of favor recently. Holl, 32, has totaled five assists in 35 games this season while maintaining a plus-7 rating, playing just over 15 minutes per night when he finds himself in the lineup. Moving Holl would be a wise cap relief move at this point for the Red Wings. This past summer, Holl signed a three-year deal that averages $3.4 million annually. More than likely, Detroit will need to retain 50% of that salary in a trade, but licking your wounds, admitting something isn’t working, and getting half of the money off the books isn’t the worst idea. That’s something to monitor before Friday’s 3 PM Est. deadline.
The more significant move Yzerman could make would be trading veteran defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere. Gostisbehere, 30, signed a one-year deal worth $4.125 million this past summer and has excelled as a specialty player quarterbacking Detroit’s power play. Gostisbehere has totaled nine goals and 39 points this season over 60 games; 22 of his 39 points have come with Detroit on the power play.
Detroit is Gostisbehere’s fourth stop over his ten-year career to date, and he’s always had the ability to create offense, but his defensive deficiencies are bad enough to give you an ulcer at times. He’s recorded 350 points over 598 career games and is a minus-74.
