The Detroit Red Wings are battling for a playoff spot and one trade pitch has them acquiring a bruising defenseman.
The website PuckPedia’s PuckGM tool lets users create their own trades. One user proposed a deal that would see the Red Wings acquiring Nikita Zadorov from the Boston Bruins.
Red Wings acquire:
Bruins acquire:
- Erik Gustafsson
- Shai Buium
- 2025 second-round pick
The proposed deal would be an intriguing one as Detroit would acquire a star defenseman for an NHL defenseman, a prospect and a pick.
Zadorov is in the first year of his six-year $30 million deal with the Bruins but he has struggled in Boston and his name has come up in trade rumors. The 6-foot-6 defenseman is a big-body who can bolster Detroit’s blue line and add some physicality and offense. Zadorov has recorded 3 goals and 11 assists for 14 points with Boston this season.
In return, the Red Wings would trade a second-round pick and Gustafsson who can replace Zadorov. Gustafsson is in the first year of his two-year $4 million deal and would be a much cheaper option for Boston on the blue line. Gustafsson has recorded 2 goals and 14 assists for 16 points with Detroit this season.
The Red Wings would also trade Buium, who is a defenseman prospect. Buium is playing in the AHL after he was selected 36th overall in 2021. He could play NHL minutes this season as in the AHL, he’s recorded 0 goals and 19 assists in 49 games.
Red Wings Battling for Playoff Spot
Detroit had hopes of making the playoffs this season and the Red Wings are in the thick of the playoff race.
The Red Wings barely missed out on the playoffs last season and forward Joe Veleno says the team has learned from the mistakes they made.
“We’ve just been playing real good hockey all the way around, doing a lot of things well,” Veleno said. “Competing, and our attention to details have been sharp. When Todd came in here, he introduced us to a lot of new systems and the way we’d like to play. We feel good about our chances and our game. We definitely want to be that team to push to the very end and learn from those mistakes last year that didn’t get us in the playoffs.”
However, the Red Wings have the hardest schedule remaining in the NHL, but Detroit doesn’t care about that.
“I don’t even want to know if we have the hardest schedule or if we’re flying the most amount of miles in the league,” defenseman Moritz Seider said. “There are no excuses right now. We have to win, we have to get points, and no matter who we play, I think if we bring our A game, we have a good chance of getting two points.”
The Red Wings are 30-23-6 and holding onto a Wild Card spot.
Zadorov Explains Signing With Bruins
Zadorov signed a massive deal with Boston in July but so far it hasn’t worked out.
The defenseman hasn’t provided the offense as needed, while Boston is also outside of a playoff spot, which Zadorov says the reason he signed with the Bruins was to win.
“I want (to have) my best chance to win a championship,” Zadorov said. “I’m really (invested) in what I do. I’m putting all my heart into everything. Right now I’m here for six years and I want to put my heart into (being) a Bruin and to try to win a Stanley Cup in here.”
The Bruins are 27-25-8 and four points out of a playoff spot.
Like Heavy Sports’s content? Be sure to follow us.
This article was originally published on Heavy Sports
The post Trade Pitch has Red Wings Acquiring Bruising $30 Million Defenseman appeared first on Heavy Sports.