According to MLive’s Ansar Khan and Hockeybuzz’s Bob Duff, the Red Wings have a big decision to make as they weigh whether to use 2 of their non-roster emergency 4 post-trade deadline call-ups:
If #RedWings want Jared Coreau and Tyler Bertuzzi to be eligible for AHL playoffs they must be assigned to @griffinshockey by 3 p.m. tomorrow. They can be recalled after 3 p.m. and would count towards the post-trade deadline four recall limit.
— Ansar Khan (@AnsarKhanMLive) February 25, 2018
AHL clear day rosters – only players on the roster on clear day are eligible to compete in the Calder Cup playoffs – is also Monday. That means if the Wings want goalie Jared Coreau or left-winger Tyler Bertuzzi to be eligible for the playoffs, they’d be required to assign them to AHL Grand Rapids tomorrow, even if it were merely a paper transaction and they were recalled the next day without ever actually leaving Detroit.
It would however, require the Wings to use up two of their four post-trade deadline call ups.
Right now Bertuzzin and Coreau are integral parts of the Red Wings and their being 5 points out of a wild card spot. Looking at the prospects I think there are 4 additional players the Wings may want to play to get a good look at this season and maybe a boost from within”
Hicketts
Hronek
Svechikov
Tugeon
With that in mind there are the four call ups and wasting even one on an NHL player like Bertuzzi and a hopeful NHL player like Coreau (at least a good backup goalie) doesn’t make sense. Holland has to believe in what he has in GR right now and plan to get looks at all four of the players I listed after the deadline depending on who the Wings need (they’ll need a defenseman if they move Green).
If Holland doesn’t have faith in Coreau to be the backup for the rest of the season he should trade for one today and the kid back to GR. Holland should probably try to get a top goalie prospect in a trade today anyway, and if he does I would think that new goalie would go straight to GR so clearing Coreau for the playoffs would be unnecessary.
And if the rumors are correct and several teams want Tatar then Holland should do everything he can to get a bidding war to move him. It seems there is more interest right now in Tatar than Nyquist, though I think there were two teams interested in him.
Moving either could give Svechnikov the opening to see what he can do right now after the deadline and maybe he’ll be better here than in GR. I’ve been reading that playing in the NHL is less chaotic so if he’s ready he could be that shot in the arm the team needs. And if Svenchnikov isn’t quite there yet but he’s good enough to earn ice time here for a decent stretch or the rest of the season that will get him ready for next season. If not Svechnikov, Turgeon should get a good look. And if by some miracle Holland moved both Tatar and Nyquist then both Svechikov and Turgeon would be obvious call ups to replace them after the clear day deadline.
Holland said he doesn’t want to blow it all up. He wants to be methodical and make room for the kids as they are ready to fill the spots. That means making room now if the return is good, and definitely moving Tatar or Nyquist or both by the draft which is the last time before summer break when deals for those types of players tend to happen. I can wait until then if the offers aren’t right, but I cannot accept keeping both of them after that point. The Wings would do better with kids next season and some inexpensive veteran specialists, like bringing back Vanak.
My primary concern with Holland isn’t his rhetoric, it’s that he spent his career being a buyer, not a seller, so he doesn’t have experience creating bidding wars and may not have the willingness to accept very good offers because he overvalues his own players. Selling off players is about getting back the things needed most, not necessarily the most things. If Holland cannot understand that he cannot rebuild this club. If he needs advice from someone who does, he should ask for it and maybe bring that person aboard as an adviser.
I hope the Wings are able to at least make one good move today. If they can make three I will be elated, but I’m not expecting much.
I hope I didn’t write emergency call ups at the beginning of my post. If I did, oops.
Wait, what happened to my big post? Oh well, I’m not posting that again.
I’ll just say there it’s a bad idea to clear two NHL players when there are 4 that need looking at some of whom might need calling up if Holland makes more moves than we are expecting.
They are:
Turgeon
Svechikov
Hicketts
Hronek
Hopefully Holland can get a top goalie prospect in a deal and that player would go straight to GR so Coreau wouldn’t be needed. Plus McCollum has something to prove. And it would be an insult to clear Bertuzzi with the Wings 5 points out of a playoff spot. He’s had something to do with that. I think he’s graduated to the NHL and going back down for the playoffs would not be good for him.
Wouldnt happen, but doesnt that mean Coreau would be on waivers and could be claimed? Bertuzzi is still on a 2 way contract so no worries there
I believe that the Wings don’t have to waive Coreau to send him down as they’ve waived him already this year. 10 games or 30 days with the NHL team before you have to waive him again.