Detroit Red Wings: Steve Yzerman not done yet; flips Steven Kampfer

The Detroit Red Wings were busy at the trade deadline. General Manager (GM) Steve Yzerman went out and worked the phones. He was busy as the team made a flurry of moves leading up to the trade deadline itself.

But as the deadline has come and gone, the Detroit Red Wings found themselves making another trade. Defender Steven Kampfer was traded to the Arizona Coyotes in exchange for future considerations.

While some may be confused, the trade deadline marks the deadline for players to still be eligible for post-season competition. The Coyotes certainly do not have to worry about that whatsoever. So this trade can go through without worrying about Kampfer being playoff-eligible.

On top of that, he did not play in a game with the Red Wings in 2022-23, so even if it’s some cash to put towards a contract or signing bonus, Yzerman, once again… got something for nothing in a trade.

Detroit Red Wings trade Steven Kampfer for future considerations.

While Kampfer did not play for the Red Wings in 2022-23, he has played for the Grand Rapids Griffins in the AHL. He has four goals and 18 assists for 22 total points over 44 games played. He’s likely to swap clubs and join the Coyotes AHL affiliate, the Tucson Roadrunners.

In ten years as part of the NHL, across time with five NHL clubs (including the time with Detroit), Kampfer has 231 NHL games with 15 goals and 24 assists for 39 total points as a blueliner. He will make a difference for the Roadrunners in Tucson the rest of the way in 2022-23, and Yzerman was able to recoup some value, even if it’s enough money to stock the locker room’s vending machines for a year.

The trade deadline may have come and gone, but Yzerman still found a way to make something happen and bring in some more value for someone that the team will not have part of the plan long-term.

For the Red Wings, Kampfer may not have been much more than someone to eat up minutes in the AHL, but he’s someone that Yzerman found a way to squeeze some value out of. It’s not that there are more groundbreaking trades set to come, but even with the deadline passing, Yzerman can still find a way to squeeze some value out of AHL players if he so pleases.

It’s like when he flip-flopped Kyle Criscuolo with the San Jose Sharks in exchange for Jasper Weatherby earlier this year to avoid veteran rules violations at the AHL level.