3 teams who must call the Red Wings for Jonatan Berggren at the trade deadline
The Detroit Red Wings should buy at the trade deadline, but there are also players like Jonatan Berggren, who they can also sell to non-contenders.
The Detroit Red Wings must buy at the trade deadline to keep the best season they have enjoyed in years going strong. Detroit, however, is in a position where they can hand over more than just potential future assets in the prospects pool and draft picks to other teams, and winger Jonatan Berggren could be someone who will help an underperforming team as soon as October 2024, if not earlier.
Berggren didn’t fare so well during his 67-game stint with the Red Wings last season, scoring just 28 points in those contests. He did, however, snag 15 goals, so there is potential for the 23-year-old to break out and forge a remarkable NHL career. Maybe it won’t be in Detroit, but there are plenty of teams who would be willing to take a flier on him and go from there.
One thing Berggren has going for him is that he’s currently averaging over a point per game for the AHL’s Grand Rapids Griffins, with 39 in 38 contests. Of those 38 points, 17 have found twine. He also tacked on five points in nine games earlier this season during a short stint in the Motor City.
Jonatan Berggren makes an excellent trade chip for the Red Wings
Ideally, things would have worked in Berggren’s favor with Detroit, and the Red Wings could still buy at the trade deadline while keeping an effective former 33rd-overall pick in the lineup. But a young player like Berggren with plenty of NHL experience still holds incredible trade value for the moment.
While a multitude of teams not looking to contend for a playoff spot should have their eyes on a player of Berggren’s caliber, three stand out more than any other. These teams find themselves in different stages of their respective rebuilds with one common denominator: They can all use a high-end prospect capable of playing in the NHL as soon as possible.
The Montreal Canadiens could seek a high-upside prospect in Berggren at the deadline
Teams looking to add young assets with high potential should make a play for Berggren, but the Montreal Canadiens have quite a few under-the-radar talents that they can send for such high-caliber prospects.
While Berggren has done little productivity-wise throughout his 76 games in the NHL, including nine this season, by no means should we label him a lost cause. Montreal is in a position to find a potential cast-off like Berggren, see if he fits the system, then perhaps add him to what is an enticing core over in Quebec.
With just 163 goals so far this season, the Canadiens need someone with scoring potential, and Berggren has shown plenty of it during his time in Grand Rapids. It’s also clear they can use a potentially high-impact winger, especially since the cupboard is bare at the position sans Cole Caufield and Juraj Slafkovsky, and the jury remains out on the latter.
One look at the Canadiens prospects pool also drives this point home since four of their five top names are either defensemen or goaltenders.No, there are no guarantees regarding Berggren, but he will at least create some buzz among the fan base if he joins the Canadiens organization at or following the deadline.
The Anaheim Ducks should be collecting prospects with high potential
If you’re one who enjoys following organizations in rebuilding mode to see if they can turn themselves into legitimate contenders down the road, you may be following the Anaheim Ducks in addition to the Red Wings. Anaheim is at that stage where they shouldn’t say no to any high-end prospect, especially one that has seen plenty of ice time in the NHL.
The Ducks also have several enticing players the Red Wings could use at the deadline, including defenseman Ilya Lyubushkin, goaltender John Gibson should Detroit look to further stabilize their goaltending, or even someone like Adam Henrique. With some maneuvering, general manager Steve Yzerman can bring in any one of the aforementioned players, especially if he’s okay with sending a winger like Berggren to Southern California.
The Red Wings, who have allowed 181 goals this season and sit 18th in the NHL in goals allowed as of February 24th, could also use help when they aren’t possessing the puck. So, to trade a winger for either a two-way forward like Henrique, a goaltender with a strong resume like Gibson, or a resurging blueliner like Lyubushkin would speak volumes.
Anaheim will be asking for a high price for at least two of those names, and the Red Wings can make that price more manageable by adding Berggren to a potential package.
The Arizona Coyotes still need some high-upside prospects in their system
For a while, we thought the surprising Arizona Coyotes would become unprecedented buyers at the trade deadline. But Arizona now sits at an 11-game losing streak, and they now have the fifth-lowest points total in hockey. That said, they aren’t keeping any of their top assets around if they can work out a deal to send them elsewhere, preferably for talent that can help them now.
For all their recent shortcomings, Arizona has shown flashes that they can become a contender in 2024-25, so offering assets for two or three years down the road won’t happen. This is where Berggren would become so valuable, as he can immediately step onto the ice and prove he can be a system fit for the remainder of the season should the Coyotes want to bring him up.
And Arizona could use another scorer to help them immediately, as their 163 goals scored ranks 25th in the NHL. Throughout their 11-game losing streak, the Coyotes have also scored over three goals in a single contest just once. So once again, offering a high-potential scoring piece that has fared well in Grand Rapids would be enticing for a Coyotes organization looking to sell at the deadline.
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(Statistics provided by Hockey-Reference and Elite Prospects as of February 24th)