While the Detroit Red Wings made only one move at the trade deadline this year, it may not have allowed them to do a whole lot for the 2023-24 season. But they still opted to clear some cap space for the future by trading Klim Kostin to the San Jose Sharks at this year's trade deadline.
Kostin may not have held the most value with the Detroit Red Wings, with minimal upside on the stat sheet. On the other hand, he does bring value to the team in other ways. It could end up being a move that means nothing down the line, but there's one thing that will matter for the Red Wings' playoff hopes.
Physicality. The Red Wings faithful consistently complain about this, and they make it clear on social media that they disdain the team's lack of physical play. Without Kostin around, it could be even more challenging to see the team throw the body around. Kostin was among the few players willing to drop the gloves and bring that physical portion of his game.
Without Kostin around, it will be tough to see much retaliation or "sticking up" going on down the stretch on this season. There are some physical players on the roster, but there's little expectation that they will be able to hold this up. It's not that Kostin was Bob Probert or Darren McCarty for Detroit, but he was vital in the little amount of physicality the team had.
Detroit Red Wings trading Klim Kostin hurts the team's menial amount of physicality.
The Red Wings are starting to cling to life in the playoff race. Without their captain, they will need to kick things into gear. This comes after dropping three games on trade deadline day. The Red Wings have their work cut out for them, but there's still hope.
Kostin was not the biggest piece of the puzzle, but he did matter as a part of the Red Wings' forward core. He played in 33 games and was averaging less than 9:00 of ice time per game, but he still found ways to get the job done. The Red Wings will need players to step up and play physically as needed.
When it comes to the Red Wings season down the stretch, they need all the help they can get. Their physical play has been quite low all year long. They have not had that physical player to separate themselves from other teams. It is what it is, but without Kostin, that becomes even weaker now for Detroit.
The Red Wings need to buckle up. Without Kostin, there's even less of a physical threat in the lineup night in and night out, and the games down the stretch are going to get physical. Hopefully, Detroit is up to the test.