Detroit Red Wings Trade Candidates: Staal, Ryan, and Bernier
By Nate Brown
What a difference a few weeks make for the Detroit Red Wings and Marc Staal. The former Rangers defenseman acquired in a deal for a second round pick was becoming a target for Red Wings fans when it came to poor positioning and what felt like opposing forwards blowing past him.
Two goals in three games later, and now there’s a shift in the conversation. With a quarter of the season gone, and the Red Wings 3-10-2 with another lottery pick all but secured, could the Red Wings possibly flip Staal to a contending team?
He’s one of three Red Wings that could be candidates to be on the move. April 12th may still be a couple months away, it’s never too early to take a look.
Staal is already playing nearly a minute more on the ice this season and even in the midst of what is becoming a goal or two. Think about it: Staal is the leading scorer on the blue line for Detroit. He’s just about 50-50 in his zone starts and while he’s been prone to defensive lapses, usually when he’s trying to keep the play alive in the offensive zone. But can you blame him? Detroit needs all the help it can get and Staal has provided it twice now.
What could he fetch? If the Red Wings ate half of the salary for the remainder of the season, I could see a prospect or possibly a 4th round pick, which could actually be a third if the right situation came along. Remember, Yzerman got a 4th for Mike Green and had Edmonton actually advanced to the Western Conference Final, it could have been a third.