Red Wings defenseman Mike Green spoke with MLive’s Ansar Khan regarding the possibility that he might be dealt at the trade deadline..
Tampa Bay has emerged as the leading candidate to acquire Green. A source said Green has agreed to waive his no-trade clause if a deal with the Lightning can be consummated. The Red Wings would like to get a first-round pick but might have to settle for a second-round selection and a prospect, multiple second-rounders or another combination of picks/prospects.
“We’ve had a talk,” Green said. “That’s between us, though. We’ll see what happens. As far as right now, I’ll be in here. I’ll work hard to make sure I contribute.”
Washington, Green’s former team, and Toronto also have shown interest.
Asked about waiving his no-trade clause, Green said: “If it’s brought upon and we have another discussion about it, we’ll have to see. I can’t give a definitive answer. My mind is always open.”
And Green also spoke with NHL.com regarding the possibility that he won’t be a Red Wing come next Monday:
“We’ll see what happens,” Green said Tuesday. “As far as right now, I love being here. I’ll work hard to make sure I contribute.”
Asked if he would consider going to a Stanley Cup contender, Green said: “We’ll have to see. I can’t give a definitive answer, but my mind’s always open.”
Green, 32, could add depth and help on the power play. He has 29 points (six goals, 23 assists) in 56 games this season. He is expected to miss his second straight game with an upper-body injury against the Nashville Predators on Tuesday but should be ready to play against the Buffalo Sabres on Thursday.
“It’s not a distraction,” Green said of trade talk. “I mean, my approach to the game doesn’t change. So I just stick to the process, and sometimes that’s the only thing you can do.”
As for the GM…
Holland wanted to make a move with Mrazek before the deadline. Mrazek can become a restricted free agent on July 1, and the Red Wings would have had to make him a qualifying offer of $4 million to retain his rights. They didn’t plan to. Aside from Green, everyone else on the roster is under team control beyond this season.
“So it’s not like I feel that I’ve got to do a deal because I’ve got these unrestricted free agents,” Holland said. “It appears to be right now more of a buyer’s market. There’s more teams that are selling. The standings are so close, there’s some teams not sure what they’re going to do. There’s not enough teams that are really guaranteed a playoff spot.”
More teams will be willing and able to trade around the draft.
“If it’s not this time period and it’s not the time period at the draft, then the reality is, it’s probably a year from now,” Holland said.
The Tampa Bay Times’ Joe Smith wondered whether Green’s the next domino to fall in the trade deadline frenzy…
The Red Wings have started wheeling and dealing, shipping goalie Petr Mrazek to the Flyers for a package of conditional draft picks. That has shifted focus to a potential Lightning target, Red Wings defenseman Mike Green, who is expected to be moved by Monday’s 3 p.m. trade deadline.
What would the price be? Well, Detroit GM Ken Holland told reporters in Detroit today that his priority is acquiring draft picks.
The Lightning has all of their picks for the next three seasons, and a deep prospect pool. Tampa Bay would likely pick late in the first round, though it’s not believed a first-rounder is a requirement in a Green deal.
Green has a full no-trade clause but seemed intrigued by the Lightning when I spoke to him for our story last week examining whether he’d be a good fit.
“They’re an incredible team,” Green told the Times. “They’ve got all the pieces.”
The Lightning has a lot of admirers of Green, including captain Steven Stamkos and coach Jon Cooper.
“He’s very cerebral,” Cooper said. “You watched in the All-Star Game, the way he’s scoring, the way he can move the puck, it’s just effortless. He’s somebody that’s been doing it for a long time in this league. He seems to be able to create everywhere he goes. He’s been in the league for a while, but he’s sure a hell of a player still.”
And MLive’s Khan posted a clip of Green speaking with the media:
