Kim Kostin’s short time with the Red Wings is over. The team announced just a couple of hours ahead of the NHL trade deadline that the Russian forward has been traded to the San Jose Sharks in exchange for defenseman Radim Simek and a 7th round pick in 2024 (via New Jersey):
Detroit acquired Kostin from Edmonton over the summer in exchange for future considerations.
This news comes as the Wings are expected to call up AHL star Jonatan Berggren. Simek is nothing more than an AHL depth defenseman, so one could believe Kostin’s roster spot belongs to Berggren. The move also means Detroit will gain some cap space next season — Kostin has another year on his deal at $2 million AAV.
This is the first trade Steve Yzerman has made ahead of the deadline at 3:00 PM ET today. We’ll see if he has any other moves up his sleeve, but I would guess if there are more deals to come, they could be relatively low-key.
