Pro Hockey Rumors’ Ethan Hetu offered a potential trade scenario which might relieve the New York Rangers of defenseman Nils Lundkvist, who the New York Post’s Larry Brooks has reported is disgruntled and has asked for a trade. Hetu believes that there’s a fit between the Rangers and a certain Detroit Red Wings forward:
Per Brooks, GM Chris Drury’s “target” in trade talks over Lundkvist is to acquire a “young, top-nine center who might grow with the organization.” While no specific teams that are potentially interested in Lundkvist were mentioned in the reporting, a few possibilities emerge when looking over the depth charts of other NHL clubs.
The Detroit Red Wings, for example, have a potential opening on the left side of their defense if they don’t want to use Jordan Oesterle as an everyday third-pairing defenseman. Lundkvist could potentially be a fit there playing next to his countryman, Gustav Lindstrom. He could even compete for a chance to play next to Calder Trophy winner Moritz Seider as well. Lundkvist is, of course, a right-shot defenseman but if he wants to prioritize the best fit possible on a new team he might need to be flexible with where exactly in a lineup he plays.
One other factor making Detroit an intriguing potential trade partner is the fact that the Red Wings also have a young centerman who could fit the Rangers’ desired return: Joe Veleno. Veleno might not have a regular role down the middle in Detroit next season, given the emergence of Michael Rasmussen and the addition of Andrew Copp. Could a swap of the two 2018 first-rounders make sense for both teams?
Continued; this is an interesting scenario, but I don’t see the fit, frankly.
First and foremost, the Red Wings already have a defensive corps that looks something like this:
Ben Chiarot-Moritz Seider
Olli Maatta-Filip Hronek
Jordan Oesterle-Gustav Lindstrom
Depth defensemen with NHL experience: Robert Hagg, Steven Kampfer;
Injured: Jake Walman (shoulder), Mark Pysyk (Achilles tendon)
Lundkvist is, like Lindstrom, a right-shooting defenseman who’s listed at 5’10” and 187 pounds, and he’s got a $925,000 cap hit, but he’s played in all of 25 NHL games.
If the Wings are concerned about the 6’2,” 183-pound Lindstrom’s size and strength, I just don’t see the Wings trading 22-year-old Joe Veleno to another team, even with the Red Wings’ center corps consisting of Dylan Larkin, Andrew Copp, Pius Suter and Michael Rasmussen as centers 1-2-3-and-4, with Veleno and Chase Pearson literally and figuratively waiting in the wings.
The trade proposal makes some sense. It doesn’t mean that it’s going to happen.
Sound logic. No need to for Yzerman to make that trade.