Perhaps Steve Yzerman’s best strategy for rebuilding the Red Wings is unloading all of Ken Holland’s roster blunders onto Ken Holland himself?
In a late-night move hours before the NHL trade deadline, Yzerman sent oft-injured defenseman Mike Green to Holland’s Edmonton Oilers in exchange for a center Kyle Brodziak and a conditional draft pick.
That pick is a conditional fourth-rounder in 2020 that could turn into a third-round selection in 2021 if Edmonton makes it to the Western Conference Finals AND Green plays in at least 50-percent of the games. So… the Wings can probably settle on the pick being a fourth-rounder in 2020 which is okay. It’s also important to note that Detroit retained 50 percent of the $2.6 million dollars left on his deal that expires at the end of the season so whatever. I’m unsure too if any of that is prorated but again, who cares?
As far as Kyle Brodziak goes for the Wings, don’t expect to see him on the ice anytime soon or at all. This was strictly a salary dump for Edmonton given the forward’s degenerative disc condition that has kept him on the long-term injured reserve all season. Not only that, Bodziak confirmed last September that he “definitely can’t play anymore” but like Green, his contract comes off the books at the end of the season.
A couple of things to take away from this though.
First, let us hope that Mike Green can stay healthy and offer up some help to Edmonton to increase the value of that draft. And second, it may be worth noting that the Red Wings got more for Nick Jensen from Washington which could signal a bunch of different things, the current state of the team and/or Mike Green’s injury history. Nonetheless, I’m wondering if Holland has any interest in Justin Abdelkader?
