Detroit Red Wings: Five players Steve Yzerman needs to move on from

There could be many different choices here, but I’ve decided to go with a player I really enjoy watching when he’s healthy.

The problem is I only get to enjoy Mike Green cruise around on the ice for about half the season on too much of a regular basis.  Green has struggled to stay healthy over the last two seasons in particular.

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Two trade deadlines ago, Green’s stock was up, but Ken Holland was unable to find anyone to take a chance on the veteran, mobile, right-handed, offensive defenseman.  You would think that list of attributes I just mentioned would have teams lined up hoping to add him to their roster at the trade deadline, yet his neck injury that at the end of the day ended his season shied teams away that were not comfortable adding a banged up veteran stalled all trade opportunities.

At the time Mike Green was a pending free agent and wound up returning to the Detroit Red Wings on a two-year deal, but the injury bug returned once again.  Green struggled to stay healthy this past season, and that should trigger the Wings brass to become a bit eager to deal him this summer.

Green started the season on IR with a liver virus, and like he began the year, he ended it on the IR with the same infection.  Green played 43 games last season for the Wings scoring 5 goals and totaling 26 points.  He was the teams’ best defenseman during the games in which he played.  He was absent during the final quarter of the season when Filip Hronek started to excel.  Hronek had mentioned in the past he models his game around Mike Green, I would have enjoyed seeing the two of them play down the stretch for the Wings.

Green’s CF% was a touch below average, but if you are reading this, you’ve seen the percentages of the other players mentioned in this article and Green’s is the most respectful of the group.  He averaged 21:41 TOI per night for the Wings this year and owned a 49.4% CF.  Keep in mind Green was often matched up against the Wings opponents top line each night.

I wouldn’t be disappointed if the Detroit Red Wings decided to hold onto Green until mid-way through the season, but I would urge the team to move him when he’s healthy because they should be able to get a decent return for his services and he’s proven he struggles to remain healthy.