Good news, everyone! We made it to Trade Deadline day!
Bad news, everyone! The Red Wings have gone cold on us.
Yep, the Wings are on a four-game skid after last night’s loss to Utah at Little Caesars Arena. I’m not even going to get into what happened in this game because it will do nothing but piss me off. Goaltending, defense, offense… It’s all unacceptable. So now Steve Yzerman has a decision to make, which he probably already made — try and make this team better before 3:00 PM ET today, sell, or do nothing and just ride out the rest of the season with what you have. I’d wager that doing nothing is probably the most likely scenario.
Nothing went right the last 12 or so hours. Carter Mazur got hurt early in the game last night and according to family, it’s a dislocated elbow, which means he’s done for the season most likely. Just an awful outcome for him in his NHL debut. Once we got word that he wouldn’t return, I felt like a balloon flailing and deflating uncontrollably. Then we learned about Jake Walman’s move to Edmonton, and well, that kinda threw a little salt on the wound. San Jose essentially turned future considerations into a 1st round pick and prospect. Great, whatever. It’s not even that part that really annoys me, it’s more the fact that the discourse surrounding Walman’s departure from Detroit will live on for the foreseeable future. BLAH.
Red Wings Trade Rumors
There haven’t been any honestly. I read that Detroit was in on trying to get Mikko Rantanen but it sounded like Carolina found a suitable partner in the Dallas Stars to facilitate a trade. I say sounded because that was the latest last night, and now it sounds like Carolina may have to look for other options according to Darren Dreger.
There are some names out there that make sense for the Wings — Ryan Donato from Chicago, Brandon Carlo from Boston, Bowen Byram from Buffalo, etc. but no real clues that draw a direct line between any of them. We’re just going off of what they need right now. Detroit’s got the assets to get any one of these guys.
There’s also a flip side here.. Who can be sold at the deadline? We know that Detroit would like to find someone who will take Vladimir Tarasenko, and it has proven to be a sellers market, but I still can’t wrap my head around anyone wanting to take him. I’d be happy with a third or fourth round pick at this point, maybe even a lower level prospect.
I dunno, but it just seems like we’re in for a low-event day from the Detroit Red Wings. I’ve been wrong (many times) before though!
Schedule Not Getting Easier
Detroit is right back at it tonight against the Washington Capitals and Alexander Ovechkin, who is inching toward hockey history. Not expecting a win here, but even a point would be a big win for this Red Wings team right now. After tonight, they’re off until Monday when they head to Ottawa to face the Senators. Then it’s Buffalo, Carolina, and Vegas on the schedule for the rest of next week.
Then Wings are still within striking distance of the second wild card spot, currently held by Ottawa. Detroit is behind the Rangers for that spot, and a win against Washington would shift the wild card picture, but that’s a tough win to get. Washington is a damn good team. So yes, the Wings are definitely still in the mix, but like always, an extended losing streak like the one they are putting together right now could bury them very quickly.
Alright, negativity corner is over. We’ll keep an eye on the trade market now until the deadline and keep you updated on any noise coming from the Red Wings. Happy Friday. Enjoy the day, because spring is almost here.
