Okay, now that we’ve had time to process the Ville Husso “trade,” and yes, I’m being serious when I put that into quotation marks, the next question is, what should the Red Wings do next? A lot, really, despite their rally that now has them sitting in fourth place in the Atlantic with 66 points.
Yeah, that puts them in striking distance of a top-three spot, and the way that they can get there this season is to make a few more moves before the March 7th deadline that is approaching fast. But, what moves do they need to make if they plan on maximizing their chances at a playoff run and even doing some damage in the postseason?
They got off to a great start with handing Husso off to the unsuspecting Ducks. Now, it’s time to make (at least) a pair of trade acquisitions and trade away one more player.
Acquire - A three-zone defenseman
I’ve said it so many times, but it needs to be reinforced: The Red Wings need more physicality and productivity from their blue line. Yeah, they have an established player in Moritz Seider and yes, they have a strong up-and-comer in Simon Edvinsson, but after that, it’s hard to find anyone.
Ben Chiarot is good when the Wings don’t have the puck, but he contributes little offensively. Jeff Petry’s had an injury-riddled campaign and has been out for a while. Erik Gustafsson is a free-agent disappointment who I wouldn’t mind seeing as the next guy to get dumped off somewhere else.
The first name that comes to mind here is Bowen Byram, and it’s why I’ve spoken before about a potential deal for the young Sabres blueliner that could, theoretically, include Dylan Cozens. Hey, if the Red Wings want to speed up the building process, bringing on a pair of twenty-somethings like Byram and Cozens will take them a long way.
Plus, imagine a trio like Byram, Seider, and Edvinsson growing up together in the NHL. Oh, I will be very bullish on the Red Wings if they could somehow find a way to bring Byram to Hockeytown.
Trade - Vladimir Tarasenko
I’m not gonna lie - I like to take victory laps when I’m right about something, but I’m also someone who doesn’t sweep an issue under the table when I’m wrong. It happens far too often these days in all walks of life.
And man, was I wrong about Vladimir Tarasenko, or was I so wrong that I should hang my head in shame? Nah, I’d rather rise up and admit the obvious. Tarasenko might be sixth on the Red Wings in points with 24, but when you spread that number over 56 games, you get, yeah, less than a half-point per.
Add in the fact he’s got just eight goals so far this season, and you’re looking at a player who has performed so far below expectations that maybe Erik Gustafsson isn’t the one the Wings should trade away for virtually nothing. Or, since Tarasenko’s credentials are a little better than Gustafsson’s, Steve Yzerman will likely get something out of making this mistake.
Or, he’ll get something good out of Tarasenko now, and it’s a much better deal than if he were to refrain from trading the ailing winger and waiting until the offseason. The one caveat here is that Tarasenko has a full no-trade clause, meaning Yzerman will have no choice but to move him to a contender.
Acquire - A physical defensive forward
Michael Rasmussen was your physical forward and Andrew Copp was your defensive forward. Unfortunately, Copp’s done for the season, so the sense of urgency here is at a season-high. In a previous section, I mentioned Dylan Cozens, and he’d be great to implement here. But the Wings would likely need more than that.
I’ve mentioned before that the Red Wings need to get more physical, and it’s something we did see in last night’s thriller against the Minnesota Wild. But it’s safe to assume that, because of their lack of physicality all season, they won’t keep it up.
Therefore, a physical, defensive forward is what Steve Yzerman needs to go after, and one that can play on the lower lines. Cozens most likely isn’t that player as the second line seems to be calling his name if he ends up in the Motor City.
Going back to the Sabres (we’re talking a lot about them lately), there’s a chance they could move Jordan Greenway. Yeah, Greenway’s only seen action in 24 contests, which is a red flag, but wow, 66 hits in those 24 games? Acquiring him alone would immediately add a sledgehammer to the Wings.