After Andrew Copp went down for the season, the Red Wings need for a center opened up. This also came after Michael Rasmussen went down following an unnecessary hit from Anaheim Ducks forward Trevor Zegras.
There are options on the table, but if the Red Wings want a bargain, yet quality piece to play center for them as the NHL trade deadline looms, there is one player who may be on the move on or before March 7th. No, you won’t see them on many trade bait boards just yet, but this forward is a complete player who can provide much-needed physicality and face-off wins on the lower lines.
They won’t do much in the way of points production, but a defense-first game is their go-to. Plus, they wouldn’t cost general manager Steve Yzerman more than a mid-tier draft pick and prospect, at most.
The Red Wings must seriously consider trading for Radek Faksa
What makes Radek Faksa so attractive here isn’t just that he’ll help out the Wings when they don’t have the puck, but he’s also got ample experience playing or winning teams down the stretch. For most of his career, Faksa was a member of the Dallas Stars before the St. Louis Blues acquired him, and he’s remained a reliable player.
But the situation in Arch City is still bleak, and the Blues don’t look like they’ll be contending any time soon. Therefore, older, experienced veterans who can help out playoff-bound or potentially playoff-bound teams like Faksa could be in higher demand as March 7th nears.
As mentioned, Faksa won’t produce many points, and he’s got just 10 of them this season along with three goals in 47 games. He’s also a pure lower liner, averaging 13:04 of average total ice time, but still, he’s been the type of player a team needs to make a deep postseason run, something he’s proven during his time in Dallas.
Radek Faksa does a lot of things well that the Red Wings must improve on
The Red Wings have won roughly 50.6 percent of their draws. This isn’t a bad number, but someone like Faksa will give them even more opportunities. So far this season, Faksa has won a ridiculous 56.0 of his faceoffs and 276 total. That puts him just over Dylan Larkin in face-off win percentage heading into Thursday night.
The Red Wings have landed just 1,044 hits, and while Faksa isn’t one of the league’s most physical players, he’s still landing nearly two body checks per contest with 84 hits in 47 games. That’s another plus, and it’s one that the Wings, if nothing else, must improve before the deadline hits.
Overall, Faksa won’t wow you with his play in the offensive zone and you can even say he provides little, if any, value offensively as opposed to winning draws and giving his team an opportunity for a sequence. But he’s a fine asset defensively, and one who is more than capable of shutting down plays.