I’ve been gone for a day-and-a-half, and the Red Wings have been relatively busy transaction-wise. Let’s see if I’ve got them all down:
- The Red Wings sent Sheldon Dries down to Grand Rapids as Michael Rasmussen is ready to return from his “upper-body” (head) injury;
- Detroit ate a quarter of Yanni Gourde’s salary to help Tampa Bay facilitate a trade with Seattle, earning a 4th round draft pick for the Wings’ trouble (with defensive prospect Kyle Aucoin heading to Tampa Bay as well);
- The Red Wings also waived Christian Fischer, who may or may not be sent to the Griffins if he clears waivers;
- The team recalled Carter Mazur from the Grand Rapids Griffins today–which is important, because, once the trade deadline hits, teams can only make 4 non-roster-emergency recalls;
- And finally, the Wings extended Grand Rapids Griffins forward Austin Watson on a one-year, two-way contract.
At this point, it looks like the Red Wings are taking care of the internal business that’s necessary to tidy up the team’s “P’s and Q’s” before the trade deadline.
Detroit could still make several additions, with the center position and the blueline as areas of focus. It’s also entirely possible that the Wings may not make any moves, given that the players most readily available for trades are older and/or are “rental players.”
My gut feeling is that the Wings won’t be making any trades unless the team can add some long-term solutions in exchange for draft picks, players or prospects, though I could very well be wrong here.
