The Detroit Red Wings are the kings of the hockey world right now. They are first in the Atlantic Division and tied with the Carolina Hurricanes for first in the Eastern Conference. Dylan Larkin is a two-way force for the team. Their rookies, Emmitt Finnie and Axel Sandin-Pellikka, are being trusted with big minutes and significant responsibilities. Everything is coming up Red Wings.
It doesn’t stop there. The Red Wings have several bodies that are NHL-calibre players who could be better utilized elsewhere. Erik Gustafsson and Travis Hamonic are two names that have been discussed, but a recent report reveals two others that they are shopping around.
3 Red Wings Players Being Shopped Around
It’s no secret that Red Wings GM likes to sign NHL defenders. He signed Hamonic and Jacob Bernard-Docker this past summer, knowing that Sandin-Pellikka was going to be trying to make the team.
In a recent episode of 32 Thoughts, NHL insider Elliotte Friedman revealed the larger trade picture for the Red Wings.
“Not only waiver wire, but potentially small deals as well,” Friedman revealed to his co-host about how things could shake out in the near future. “Detroit has extra players now. They have Erik Gustafsson in the American Hockey League (AHL); he’s not an AHL player.”
“They’ve also got Justin Holl, who they’ve been trying to move for a bit, he’s there too.”
Friedman didn’t stop at defenders; he discussed a forward who is also available.
“Some of these guys are making such an impact that I think other guys like Berggren, too, could be available,” Friedman said.
Jonatan Berggren has been locked out of the lineup due to the play of Michael Brandsegg-Nygard and Finnie. Both rookies have asserted themselves whenever they play, a feature head coach Todd McLellan wants to see.
“I think Yzerman has some players that he’s trying to move,” Friedman continued. “Because, suddenly, he has too many of them, or a lot of the same of them.”
“Generally, in Gustafsson’s case, there’s a recognition that that’s not an AHL player. So, can he find him a new home?”
Red Wings Most Likely to Get Traded
GettyErik Gustafsson
If the Red Wings make a trade, they are currently dealing from a position of strength. The fact that they are entertaining a trade involving Hamonic, Gustafsson, Holl, and Berggren is a huge positive.
However, the most likely Red Wings from that group to be traded are Gustafsson and Berggren.
Gustafsson is a player who can pot 30 points in a full season without breaking a sweat. Recently, his issue has been staying healthy. He’s never played a full 82-game season, with the closest coming in 2018-19, when he played for the Chicago Blackhawks. Coincidentally, that’s also the year he recorded a career-high 60 points while averaging 22:35 per night.
He can still contribute on the powerplay for a team lacking an ace on the backend. Gustafsson could also help out a team that is lacking in healthy defenders. The St. Louis Blues could be a top option for the veteran blueliner.
The Blues have four defenders who log 21 or more minutes per game. Their third-pairing blueliners have averaged 13:39 and 12:48 per game. Gustafsson could carve a role on the powerplay while skating as the team’s fifth or sixth defender at even strength.
For Berggren, any team that is near the bottom of the standings and/or is rebuilding would be a likely destination. The Calgary Flames, San Jose Sharks, and Los Angeles Kings are the bottom three teams in the standings. If anyone will take a run at Berggren, it’s likely to be one of those teams.
One way or another, the Red Wings are sitting pretty this season. Things are looking up for the Winged Wheel.
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