The Free Press’s Carlos Monarrez suggests that Red Wings GM Steve Yzerman must be a “buyer” at this year’s trade deadline to reinforce the potentially playoff-bound Red Wings’ roster:
The trade deadline is March 7, which seems far away. But it really isn’t. There are only eight games left before the deadline because of a two-week leaguewide break (beginning Monday) for the 4 Nations Face-Off, the replacement for the All-Star Game this season.
One of [coach Todd] McLellan’s core philosophies is to stay focused on the moment. So it made sense that he balked when asked if his team had done enough to warrant being buyers at the deadline.
“I’m not prepared to answer that question right now,” he said. “That’s a March question. I think the trade deadline’s in March. I don’t even know when it is. … Yeah, so a full month away. We’ve got so much in front of us right now.”
Things can certainly change for a lot of teams before then. The playoff race in the East is especially tight, with Buffalo the only team entering Thursday more than seven points of a playoff spot.
So some teams currently on the fence might decide to become sellers if they nosedive before the deadline. But market circumstances shouldn’t affect the underlying principle for Yzerman — he needs to change his usually cautious (probably too cautious) mindset and become a buyer.
I’m not saying he has to mortgage the future. And I don’t want to hear any jibber-jabber about upsetting team chemistry. What I’m really talking about is the philosophical shift Yzerman and the organization need to embrace. They need to be seen as a team doing whatever it can to end a franchise-record eight-year playoff drought, especially now that they have a coach and a team that seem exceptionally qualified to do exactly that.
Continued; again, I’m of the mind that the Red Wings don’t need to “buy” unless they can add players who become part of the long-term plan.
