The Detroit Red Wings have Bo Horvat and the New York Islanders to thank for their top defensive prospect.
That prospect is Axel Sandin-Pellikka, the 17th overall pick from the 2023 NHL Draft. But what do Bo Horvat and the New York Islanders have to do with the Red Wings landing Sandin-Pellikka?
Well, let’s get the Reader’s Digest version.
In January 2023, the Vancouver Canucks traded Horvat to the New York Islanders. In return, the Canucks got Anthony Beauvillier, Aatu Raty, and a 2023 first-round pick. I won’t get into Beauvillier and Raty, but I will focus on that first-round pick.
The pick was a top-12 protected pick. If the Islanders finished 12th or lower, the Canucks would have gotten another first-round pick from the Islanders instead. Since the Islanders were on track to make the playoffs at the 2023 trade deadline, the Canucks moved the Islanders’ 2023 pick to the Red Wings in the Filip Hronek deal.
Boy, did that move backfire on the Canucks. The Islanders were bounced in the first round of the 2023 playoffs, making the Isles’ first-round pick the 17th-overall selection. The Wings used the pick to select Sandin-Pellikka.
In short, the Red Wings wouldn’t have landed Sandin-Pellikka if the Bo Horvat trade had never happened. Incidentally, the Canucks deserve a shoutout for making the deal for Hronek.
Red Wings better off without Hronek
At the time, trading Hronek was seen as something of a capitulation on the Red Wings’ part. It was a tacit admission that the team was still in full-rebuild mode and willing to trade anything of value for more futures.
That much was true. The Red Wings got that New York first-round, and a second-round pick from the Canucks. The Red Wings flipped that second-rounder to the Nashville Predators for the 47th and 147th picks.
The 47th pick turned in Brady Cleveland, while the 147th became Kevin Bicker, a German forward. Brady Cleveland remains unsigned, though the Red Wings hold his rights. The 20-year-old is currently playing for the University of Minnesota in the NCAA. He has one point in 15 games so far this season.
As for Bicker, he remains in Europe. He’s unsigned and playing for the Eastern Conference Bad Nauheim of the second German league.
Neither Cleveland nor Bicker looks like they’ll make the NHL anytime soon. So, we can call those two picks a wash. But there’s always the chance they could still turn into something.
So, the real gem in that Filip Hronek deal was Sandin-Pellikka. Sandin-Pellikka has a much higher upside than Hronek. While Hronek has been a steady defensive presence for the Canucks, he hasn’t quite lived up to expectations. He had a great 2023-24 season, putting up 48 points in 81 games, playing alongside Quinn Hughes.
Unfortunately, injuries derailed his year last season. He played in 61 games, posting a respectable five goals and 28 assists for 33 points. Hronek has played well enough this season, scoring 13 points in 23 games in what has been a dismal campaign for the Canucks.
With the Holiday season in full swing, the Red Wings should send Bo Horvat a fruit basket with a bottle of champagne. His reluctance to re-sign in Vancouver triggered the chain reaction that landed Sandin-Pellikka in Detroit.