A month from the trade deadline, the Detroit Red Wings aren’t making it easy on their general manager.
Steve Yzerman has been an obvious seller the past two seasons, and while that is still the most likely scenario, it’s not as clear-cut this time. The Wings are 23-22-6, and for a change, in the conversation for a wild-card playoff spot rather than the best odds in the draft lottery.
“If you look back a couple years, we’re in a lot better position than we were,” veteran Sam Gagner said. “I think it’s a testament to everything. The coaching staff has done a really good job of preparing us and helping us improve. There’s still a lot of areas of growth for our game that we have to continue to build, but the progress has been great.
“We just have to focus on task at hand. I feel like there’s belief in this group and we just have to keep trying to get wins and keep trying to move forward and hopefully by the end of the year, we’re fighting for that spot.”
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The Wings are off this weekend, using a break in the schedule to get a little rest. They next play Wednesday against the Colorado Avalanche, one of two games left for the franchise this month. The Wings entered Saturday six points behind Boston for the second wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference, but the Bruins have games in hand, which skews what can be read into the standings. (The Bruins and Wings should be caught up in games by Feb. 28, when Boston visits the Kings in Los Angeles, its fifth game in 10 days beginning Saturday.)
“From our perspective, we just have to keep putting pressure on teams above us by trying to win as many hockey games as we can,” coach Jeff Blashill said. “We don’t have control over whether or not they win their games in hand. Games in hand are great unless you don’t win them.
“We just have to keep doing two things. One, growing and getting better, not just for right now but for our future. And two, putting as much pressure as we can on the teams above us, and you do that by playing great hockey and winning as many games as you can.”
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The trade deadline is March 21. There has been interest in Tyler Bertuzzi in the past, though that would be tempered this year because his unvaccinated status limits his ability to play in Canada. But aside from that, Bertuzzi is someone the Wings need — a gritty guy who already has recorded his third 20-goal season thanks to constant buzzing around the opponent’s net. Bertuzzi also has a history of performing in the playoffs at the AHL and juniors level, proving he’s effective when the pressure increases. He has had terrific chemistry with Dylan Larkin, and over the past month has sparked the second line.
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“The guys who have been here for a little while are growing and maturing,” Gagner said. “You look at what Bert’s brought this year, we’ve talked about Larks and his maturity and growth, and then you have our young players that have stepped up and played really well for us. I think we’re on the right path.”
Gagner is among a number of veterans on expiring contracts, a group that includes forward Vladislav Namestnikov, defensemen Nick Leddy, Marc Staal, Danny DeKeyser and Troy Stecher, and goaltender Thomas Greiss.
Namestnikov has 13 goals and 10 assists in 49 games; his meager $2 million salary cap hit will be attractive to teams looking for offensive help. Leddy has 12 points and a minus-26 rating in 46 games, but his résumé shows he can produce; he could appeal to a team looking for an offensive defenseman. His $5 million cap hit likely would mean the Wings would have to retain salary in a trade. Greiss has a 3.17 goals-against average and .907 save percentage, but he’s another guy with a solid résumé and a reasonable $3.6 million cap hit. Gagner and Staal could draw interest, but the return isn’t likely to outweigh the value they have in the Wings’ lineup.
That, ultimately, is what Yzerman has to balance. It was obvious in 2020, Yzerman’s first season as Wings GM, that trading Andreas Athanasiou was better for the rebuild than keeping him. He was an expendable asset which yielded Gagner and two second-round picks (which were later used in other deals). At last year’s deadline, Yzerman flipped under-performing top-line winger Anthony Mantha to the Washington Capitals in return for top-line winger Jakub Vrana, forward Richard Panik, a first-round pick and a second-round pick. (The first-rounder was later used in the deal that enabled the Wings to draft goaltender Sebastian Cossa.) Vrana is nearing a return after being sidelined since training camp because of a shoulder injury.
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If Vrana returns soon and the Wings stay healthy, they could conceivably go on a run, even as their schedule includes three games each against the Tampa Bay Lightning and Florida Panthers — along with contests against the Bruins, Pittsburgh Penguins and Carolina Hurricanes — all teams jockeying for playoff positioning. If that happens, maybe Yzerman holds steady at the deadline. (No matter what, he doesn’t project to be a buyer. The Wings may be able to make the playoffs, but they are not a Stanley Cup contender.) If that doesn’t happen, Yzerman could, for a third straight year, flip current assets in an effort to build a better future.
Contact Helene St. James at hstjames@freepress.com. Follow her on Twitter @helenestjames. Read more on the Detroit Red Wings and sign up for our Red Wings newsletter. Her book, The Big 50: The Detroit Red Wings is available from Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Triumph Books. Personalized copies available via her e-mail.