3 major mistakes the Red Wings and Steve Yzerman must avoid this offseason
Keeping Ville Husso and Justin Holl around
There are two players Yzerman must trade immediately; Ville Husso and Justin Holl. Both of whom have modified no-trade clauses, but neither have given the organization value, and you can argue they would be rather irrelevant when the Red Wings start winning so consistently that they’re perennially back in the postseason.
Even if Yzerman acquired a goaltender like Juuse Saros, for example, but if he couldn’t move Husso, that’s also a problem. At this point, you would know someone like Saros and Alex Lyon would be the starter and backup, so Yzerman would have no choice but to pay a penalty and bury Husso in Grand Rapids. And what do you do with him there?
Ideally, he backs up Sebastian Cossa, but even then, you’re paying a buried penalty for Husso to be a backup in the AHL. This is just hypothetical, but that money can go elsewhere. Then there is Justin Holl, who wouldn’t be in the rotation at this point even if Gostisbehere signed elsewhere - this is assuming Simon Edvinsson starts the year with the big club.
Again, do you want a buried penalty for an aging defenseman? Overall, Yzerman needs to move them, save some cap space, and invest in players he plans on keeping around the Motor City.
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(Statistics provided by Hockey-Reference)