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Detroit Red Wings: Trade Deadline Evaluation

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The Detroit Red Wings are all but mathematically eliminated from the playoffs for the first time in 25 years.  With the Red Wings so far out of the playoff hunt, it was obvious that General Manager Kenny Holland would be a seller at the trade deadline.  The Red Wings ended up being involved in four transactions all of which are discussed below.

The Red Wings ended up trading four players before the Wednesday deadline.  Forwards Steve Ott, Thomas Jurco and Thomas Vanek were moved along with defenseman Brendan Smith.  Oddly enough, Smith brought the highest return to the Red Wings as they obtained a third-round pick in this year’s draft as well as a second-round pick in next year’s draft for the young defenseman.  Smith’s play has been inconsistent for much of his career and he is set to become an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season so receiving two draft picks for him was a pretty good trade for Holland.  The Red Wings and Smith were discussing contract extensions but given the salary cap issues the Red Wings are facing, moving on from Smith seemed to be the only option.

Jurco was a high-profile player who thrived in the AHL but could never settle into the lineup at the NHL level. Holland ended up sending him to Chicago for a third-round pick in this year’s draft.  Jurco is still young and was never given a fair chance in Detroit but it was obvious he needed a change of scenery and the traded seemed to be fair for both sides.

Steve Ott was traded to Montreal for a sixth-round pick in this year’s draft.  Ott became a fan favorite because his gritty play and willingness to fight for his teammates.  Ott’s leadership was mentioned by several players throughout the year and he seemed to really enjoy being a member of the Red Wings organization.  With that being said the Red Wings are going to miss the playoffs and Ott is set to become a free agent at the end of the season so moving on from the scrappy veteran seemed to be the right move.

Thomas Vanek was the player many suggested would yield the highest return for the Detroit Red Wings.  As the trade deadline approaches teams looking to make a run in the playoffs are willing to trade valuable assets (draft picks) in exchange for rental players.  Vanek has been in the league for 12 seasons, and is on pace for his highest point total in four seasons (38 points in 48 games). Given Vanek is also a big forward one would think Holland could get a high draft pick in either this year or next year’s draft (many consider this year’s draft to relatively weak).

Jan 1, 2017; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Detroit Red Wings left wing Thomas Vanek (62) during their game against the Toronto Maple Leafs during the Centennial Classic ice hockey game at BMO Field. The Maple Leafs beat the Red Wings 5-4 in overtime. Mandatory Credit: Tom Szczerbowski-USA TODAY Sports

With all that being said Holland only received a third-round pick and a depth defenseman for Vanek.  Given his production and some of the other deals completed, that return was extremely low and yet another bad move by Holland.  One of the issues with Vanek is that he has a reputation of being an inconsistent player (he was bought out of his contact in Minnesota due to a lack of production) and given he is pending free-agent teams must have been reluctant to give up high-end draft picks.  Still other forwards were being moved for much more and the fact that Holland got more from Smith than he did from Vanek is baffling.

After all the movement was completed the Red Wings obtained two third-round picks, a second-round pick next year, and a sixth-round pick this year.  Holland failed to move Riley Sheahan who is yet to score a goal this season, or pending free-agent Tomas Tatar which makes little sense given the current state of the Red Wings.  With 11 picks in the 2017 NHL Draft Holland believes he can turn this disaster around.  I for one am skeptical.


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