Five key players that Yzerman could trade at the deadline

Filip Hronek

Filip Hronek has been a top four defenseman for Detroit for the past four years.  Last year, Hronek actually lead the Red Wings in scoring.  The emergence of Moritz Seider has allowed Hronek to play on the second defense pairing for most of this season.

Why a trade makes sense: Trading Hronek makes sense for Detroit because he has a difficult time defending in his own end of the ice.  Since he entered the NHL, Hronek has been a very high minus player when it comes to +/- ratings.

The Red Wings are actually quite deep on the right side of their prospects list of defensemen.  Detroit have drafted or signed  Wyatt Newpower, Annti Tuomisto, and Oscar Plandowski in recent years.  Each of these players have the potential to play in the NHL.

Detroit would receive a plethora of prospects for a player with Hronek’s pedigree.

Why a trade doesn’t make sense: Hronek is solid as a member on the #2 defense pairing.  In future years, Hronek could play with recent #1 draft choice Simon Edvinsson and the duo could help lead Detroit to many long playoff runs.

Hronek is locked in with a $4.4M contract for two more years after this year.  Hronek will remain under team control for another contract because he is only going to be a RFA at the end of his contact in 2024.

There is no rush to trade Hronek.  If he is paired with the right partner, Hronek can continue to be an effective player for many years to come.