The Detroit Red Wings wrap up their four-game road trip in Seattle Tuesday night before heading home for a much-needed break. They’ll face off against the Tampa Bay Lightning on Saturday before another break – the 4 Nations Face Off
In the meantime, get caught up on the latest Red Wings news and rumors, including Jeff Petry’s injury, the impact that has on Detroit’s trade deadline plans, plus additional deadline talk.
Petry Out 6-8 Weeks
On Monday, it was announced that Jeff Petry “underwent surgery and will be out 6-8 weeks.” The veteran defenseman has not appeared in a game since leaving the Jan. 2 contest in Columbus early.
It had been unclear how long Petry would be out of the lineup. He recently participated in practice, but did not join the team for their current road trip. Now, he’ll be out until at least mid-March, if not early April.
Red Wings Could Add Defensive Depth
With Petry out through the 2025 NHL Deadline and possibly into April, it’s reasonable to expect that the Red Wings will pursue adding a blueliner.
Detroit’s defensive pairings have been solid enough since Todd McLellan took over behind the bench. Ben Chiarot and Moritz Seider have delivered in key situations. Albert Johansson has elevated his game alongside Simon Edvinsson. And the Justin Holl-Erik Gustafsson pairing has been adequate. Next-man-up William Lagesson has yet to appear in a game since his most recent recall.
Still, adding another blueliner would be a wise decision. As we saw in December, an injury to the Red Wings’ defensive corps could be catastrophic.
Detroit can approach this in two ways – a short-term solution or one for the long term.
The short-term option would be to add a serviceable, bottom-pairing blueliner around the deadline. This would be a cheap acquisition – costing a fourth- (or later-) round pick or low-level prospect. And ideally, Detroit can capitalize on a seller who has been unable to move a player that they want to deal. Essentially, another warm body who can effectively slot into the third pairing, such as Brian Dumoulin, Josh Mahura, or Alec Martinez.
Alternatively, the Red Wings could pursue a long-term solution. One of their organizational needs is to add another top-four defenseman to a group that already includes Seider, Edvinsson, and Axel Sandin Pellikka. Think Bowen Byram or K’Andre Miller.
Obviously, the second option would be way more expensive than the short-term route. That said, the Red Wings do have depth to deal from.
Either way, adding another defenseman would be a prudent decision if the Red Wings keep winning.
Impact of J.T. Miller Trade
Over the last couple months, it’s been reported that the Red Wings have expressed interest in both Elias Pettersson of the Vancouver Canucks and Dylan Cozens of the Buffalo Sabres. Obviously, nothing materialized from these talks.
Fast-forward to Jan. 31 – the Canucks traded J.T. Miller to the New York Rangers. While the Red Wings played no part in the trade, it did have a downstream impact on the organization.
First, Buffalo and Vancouver had been discussing their own trade involving Pettersson and Cozens. Obviously, Buffalo was right to hold on any deal involving Cozens while Pettersson was in play.
Second, it was either Miller or Pettersson for Vancouver. They couldn’t move forward with both. The Canucks ultimately dealt Miller.
Now, Vancouver wants to keep Pettersson – at least for the rest of this season.
So with Pettersson off the table, Cozens could be available again if the Red Wings still have interest. That said, Buffalo could opt to keep Cozens and attempt to rekindle talks with Vancouver in the offseason.
According to multiple sources, discussions between the Red Wings and Sabres reportedly went well beyond general inquiries. And with the trade deadline approaching, it will be interesting to see if these two teams reengage or if the ship has sailed.
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