The Detroit Red Wings are losing the patience of their fanbase. Drafting and developing your own talent makes sense, but does it have to take so long? Why, yes, it does.
But don’t fear, Red Wings fans. The emergence of home-grown talent like Simon Edvinsson, Albert Johansson, and Axel Sandin-Pellikka is forcing a few veterans to rethink their life choices and book a ticket out of dodge. And the team has been competitive early on this year.
In fact, a new report suggests that a trade could be coming down the pipe sooner rather than later.
A Change of Scenery for Travis Hamonic & Erik Gustafsson
David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period made a recent appearance on the DFO Rundown podcast. During that appearance, he highlighted a new report about the next move for the Red Wings.
“There is some talk that the Wings are looking at and open to moving some of their defensemen,” Pagnotta said to the DFO Rundown host, Irfaan Gaffar, on October 15. “And I think there is mutual interest from the player’s side of things. Erik Gustafsson and Travis Hamonic, those are a couple of veteran pieces that they have brought in, and it doesn’t look like there is much room for some of these guys.”
“I think they’ve started to explore that possibility of moving them or at least letting everybody know that there’s some availability there with respect to those guys.”
Erik Gustafsson and Travis Hamonic being open to a change of scenery makes sense. Every NHLer wants an opportunity to play. On Saturday, Gustafsson had been assigned to the Red Wings’ AHL affiliate, the Grand Rapids Griffins. Meanwhile, Hamonic played in the team’s season opener against the Montreal Canadiens and hasn’t seen game action since.
Regarding what the organization could be looking for, Pagnotta shared a few details.
“This is a team that’s been looking for added offense,” Pagnotta added. “We know this is a club that has been looking at the center position as well, just in terms of adding and strengthening the overall roster.”
The Red Wings currently have $12.4 million in salary cap space.
The Defenceman Forcing Hamonic & Gustafsson Out
GettyTravis Hamonic
Having too many defensemen is not a bad problem to have. Especially for the Red Wings, they are in a position of strength to trade an extra body on their roster to a team experiencing injuries (here’s looking at you, the Winnipeg Jets, Florida Panthers, and Buffalo Sabres).
Pagnotta explained the reason behind all of the signings on the blueline this past summer.
“They signed a lot of defensemen this past summer for some reason,” Pagnotta remarked. “I think they were trying to decide if their younger guys were ready to start making those inroads into a full-time NHL slot, and they weren’t sure, so they cushioned it.”
That’s when the host, Gaffar, chimed in about the defender who started this ripple effect.
“I guess, a lot of it has to do with the play of Axel Sandin-Pellikka,” Gaffar said to Pagnotta. “There’s a guy who they probably didn’t know what to expect out of, and now, he’s probably QB for powerplay two (second unit).”
“At least in the early going it’s looking good,” Pagnotta chimed back. “He’s taken those steps and earning that additional ice time. Which is pushing some of the veteran guys out, even some of the newer ones.”
Axel Sandin-Pellikka Has Been Solid For the Red Wings
GettyThis young Red Wings prospect is forcing the team’s hand.
Sandin-Pellikka, 20, was the 17th overall pick for the Red Wings in 2023. The 6-foot, 186 lb right-handed blueliner made the team out of camp alongside other rookies, Michael Brandsegg-Nygard and Emmitt Finnie.
In four games, he has yet to record a point. However, he has six shots, seven blocks, and is averaging 20:44 in ice time per game. Sandin-Pellikka is slotted in at the point for their second unit powerplay, averaging 1:35 per game with the man advantage.
Sandin-Pellikka has spent 90 percent of his ice time stapled to the hip of Edvinsson. According to Natural Stat Trick, the duo is sporting a 53.64 Corsi For percentage (CF%) and a 55.8 Fenwick For percentage (FF%). These are the highest numbers for a pairing on the Red Wings that has played at least 20 minutes together.
For the Red Wings and Sandin-Pellikka, things can only go up from here.
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