The Detroit Red Wings made history on Friday, June 28th, 2024, the first day of the NHL Entry Level Draft, by selecting Michael Brandsegg-Nygård 15th overall. Brandsegg-Nygård becomes the first Norwegian to be taken in the first round of the draft.
The near 210-pound power forward is, you guessed it, a 200-foot player with an excellent shot and eager to get in on the forecheck. He plays a physical brand of hockey, and that is undoubtedly the type of winger the Detroit Red Wings have been missing over the past couple of years. It's clear that Yzerman is trying to create an identity; he wants to build a team that is difficult to play against, particularly in the postseason, so when they finally arrive, they will be ready to make noise, not just curl up in the fetal position, and be swept away.
Brandsegg-Nygård only adds to the cupboard of top prospects Yzerman has accumulated over the years. Yzerman drafted Moritz Seider and Marco Kasper, who play with a mean streak. Along with Kasper, we're also about to see what Simon Edvinsson can bring to the organization as a full-time Red Wing next season, and he's a towering 6-foot-4 defender. We can't forget about Carter Mazur, who also plays a physical brand of hockey. And although he won't strike fear into anyone physically, despite being in the early stages of his development as a Red Wing, Nate Danielson is quickly becoming a predominant playmaking center.
Reports indicate that the Detroit Red Wings are considering a trade for Jacob Trouba in order to add a physical dimension to their brand of hockey.
The New York Post reports that the Detroit Red Wings and the New York Rangers are in trade discussions regarding captain Jacob Trouba.
Trouba, 30, a former Michigan Wolverine and Rochester, Michigan native, reportedly will accept a trade to Detroit once his no-move transforms to a 15-team no-trade clause on Monday.
"A well-placed source has told The Post that GM Chris Drury is working on a deal to send the captain to the Red Wings, a trade that the Michigan native would presumably accept after having played as a freshman for the Wolverines in 2012-13. We are told the Rangers may retain $2.5 million per year on the two remaining seasons of Trouba’s $8M annual cap charge. That represents 31.25 percent retention that would also be applied to the $12M in salary Trouba has coming over the next two seasons."
Is this the reason Yzerman moved Jake Walman? As I recently mentioned, the Detroit Red Wings need to add a second-pairing right-handed defender to follow Seider and potentially pair with Edvinsson, which creates a ton of stability on Detroit's backend. I suggested adding Brandon Montour in free agency. Trouba is a physical player, and although he endured his share of struggles, defensively playing as a top-pairing defender would be minimized some by playing behind Seider. Trouba is a player who can police the ice and help protect some of the young Red Wings expected to make their NHL debuts this year and in the coming years.
Last season, Trouba produced three goals and 22 points over 69 games while averaging just over 21 minutes per game. Trouba was a minus-4 and delivered a Corsi For Percentage of 47.2. Trouba's Relative Corsi For Percentage of -4.9 during even strength last year was a career-worst, which is a bit alarming, understanding he's now on the wrong side of 30. Trouba's xGF (expected goals for) of 47.9 was the fifth worst of his 11-year career. He finished last season with a -6.1 expected plus/minus. In comparison, Seider was a -17.3 this past season.