Detroit Red Wings Editorials: Trading Kyle Quincey

By John Curran | Jul 7, 2015

The name Kyle Quincey brings up a lot of mixed emotions for fans of the Detroit Red Wings. Some fans appreciate Quincey’s presence on the blue-line, others were calling for Ken Holland’s head when he re-signed Quincey during the summer of 2014. Whether you love or hate “Q”, he is a Detroit Red Wing. But is he expendable?

I’ll admit it, I’ve thrown a few profanities Quincey’s way in the previous few seasons, but I’ll also admit that he grew on me/impressed me a lot last season. Maybe it was the beard? Either way, for arguments sake, let’s take a look at the possibility of keeping/trading #27.

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Why Detroit should deal him away

You wouldn’t be hard pressed to find a Red Wings fan who could give you a list of reasons for getting rid of Quincey. With the Red Wings finally snagging up Mike Green this summer, and with Jakub Kindl becoming a possible reclamation project under Jeff Blashill, Quincey could find himself the odd-man out on the blue-line this season.

Last season Quincey lead the Red Wings in penalty-minutes with 77 during the regular season. I understand that defencemen usually take a lot of penalties, but Quincey seems to take a lot of bad-penalties during some crucial moments. He doesn’t quite reach the bonehead level of penalties like Brendan Smith does, but that’s a whole other blog right there.

But there are some upsides to Kyle Quincey’s game, and some arguments to be made for the Red Wings to keep him under contract. The biggest argument for Quincey is that he had his personal-best season as a Detroit Red Wing last season. In 73 regular-season games played, Kyle had 3 goals and 15 assists while maintaining a +10 rating. Paired with Danny DeKeyser for most of the season, the two had the best +/- of all the Detroit defensive pairings.

Still being at a relatively young age (29), I would assume Quincey would draw some interest from a team looking to add some veteran grit to their defense. I don’t really foresee any outright player for player trade with Quincey that would benefit the Wings at this point.

The Quincey/DeKeyser pairing earned some high praise from Mike Babcock, which is something to be very proud of. During a Januray interview with the Detroit Free Press, Babcock described the paring as the “best pair we have on the team right now” as well as “really solid”.

"“They seem to play well together. Quincey kills penalties and plays hard, and is heavy and is making simple plays. DeKeyser moves the puck. They’ve been our steadiest pair.”"

And let’s be honest, the two were really the best, and most reliable pair on the blue-line for Detroit for much of the season. With Kronwall and Ericsson not playing the most consistent hockey, and with the revolving lines of players on the bottom two pairings, Quincey and DeKeyser were the foundation of Detroit’s defense last year.

So what could the Red Wings get in exchange for Quincey? I’m only an armchair GM so I can only speculate on this matter. I would like to think Quincey would bring at least a 3rd or 4th round draft pick from another team. Still being at a relatively young age (29), I would assume Quincey would draw some interest from a team looking to add some veteran grit to their defense. I don’t really foresee any outright player for player trade with Quincey that would benefit the Wings at this point.

Personally, I like Kyle Quincey. He may not be the flashiest or biggest points scorer, but that’s not why Ken Holland and company drafted him/brought him back to Detroit. “Q” plays a simple, hard-nosed, stay-at-home game that sometimes goes under appreciated. Sure, he makes mistakes, but he’s by no means Nicklas Lidstrom. I think keeping Quincey in Detroit would be an asset to the team, but with kids like Marchenko and Ouellet knocking on the door, it’s only a matter of time.

Next: Should the Red Wings deal Jonathan Ericsson?

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