The Athletic’s Joe Smith addressed something of a strong undercurrent today while answering a reader’s mailbag question:
What are you hearing on the Henrik Zetterberg LTIR trade rumors? What would it take in addition to Johnson for the Red Wings to deal that LTIR contract? Hopefully not a first-round pick but who knows. — Matt C.
Friedman on SN960: “There’s been a rumor going around, actually started in Europe, that the Lightning might trade for Henrik Zetterberg’s LTIR from Detroit, which makes sense depending on what they give up. The report’s been Tyler Johnson, we’ll see if there’s any truth to that.”
— NHL News (@PuckReportNHL) December 12, 2020
It’s an interesting idea, first floated on the internet in Russia, but I haven’t heard anything as far as confirmation on that. I do think that the Red Wings and Lightning are good fits for a potential deal, and whether that includes taking on Zetterberg’s LTIR, Tampa Bay would need to add an additional sweetener to make that kind of deal work. You’re talking about a draft pick or prospect there, though I don’t think the Lightning wants to give up a first-rounder.
Continued; I never put stakes in what’s coming out of the Russian hockey rumor mill.
Sergei Fedeov’s dad by himself was a one man rumor mill. Kind of like Bruce Garrioch but without a newspaper column.
Tampa’s 1st round pick in 2021 is low in the 1st round.
Maybe a couple of 2nd round picks (2021 and 2022)??
I think Tampa’s 1st round picks won’t be high for a few years.
Where do Wings dump Johnson, overpaid and over 30 yrs old.
Will see if this rumour has life.