The Detroit Red Wings made one trade today, sending Joe Veleno to Chicago for Petr Mrazek and Craig Smith. Red Wings GM Steve Yzerman addressed the media in a 40-minute press conference ahead of Detroit’s 5th straight loss, a 5-2 decision dropped to the Washington Capitals on Friday night.
MLive’s Ansar Khan summarized today’s trade thusly…
It’s also a puzzling move because Mrazek, 33, has one year remaining on his contract at $4.25 million and doesn’t appear to be an upgrade over Cam Talbot or Alex Lyon.
Mrazek, in his third season with the Blackhawks, is 10-19-2 with a 3.46 goals-against average and .890 save percentage. A Red Wings’ fifth-round draft pick in 2010 (141st overall), he spent parts of six seasons in Detroit from 2012-2018 before being traded to Philadelphia for a third-round pick.
Talbot is under contract for another season at $2.5 million. Lyon will be an unrestricted free agent after the season. Top goalie prospect Sebastian Cossa is waiver-exempt for one more season, so he could spend another year with the Grand Rapids Griffins.
Smith, 35, is a bottom-six forward who will upgrade their fourth-line center spot with his size (6-1, 203) and forechecking ability. The longtime Nashville Predator and 14-year veteran has nine goals and seven assists in 40 games. He is in the final year of his contract ($1 million) and will be an unrestricted free agent after the season.
And Khan took note of Yzerman’s comments regarding not getting into the rental market as he chose to take a conservative route when it comes to trades…
“The type of deal that was available is the pending unrestricted free agents and we didn’t even get into that,” Yzerman said. “Where we’re at … to get into that rental thing, giving up our first-round picks and our top prospects, that’s not the thing to do right now.
“I want to make the playoffs, and I want to win a Stanley cup as much as anybody, and I take full responsibility for where we’re at today. I’m going to make the best decisions that I can for us, short-term and long-term.”
The Red Wings have missed the playoffs eight years in a row and Yzerman said he understands fans are frustrated and impatient.
“We did what we thought we could to help give us a better chance at the playoffs,” Yzerman said. “Is it earth-shattering? No. But the only way we could do something earth-shattering is to give up first-round picks and our best young players and prospects. And I think everybody would agree that just to try and hope for us to get in (the playoffs) isn’t the time to do that. We’re prepared to use our picks and prospects, but it’s got to be for players that we really like that are going to be a part of this thing for future years and beyond.”
While 97.1 the Ticket’s Will Burchfield noted Yzerman’s remarks regarding fan frustration as the rebuild percolates slowly…
Yzerman gets it, “the frustration or the impatience” of the fan base. He can appreciate that Detroit is “a hockey city,” where “people know the game and want the team to do well.” Yzerman wants the team to win big. He reiterated Friday that he isn’t interested in merely getting into the playoffs, though that remains a goal this season. Asked directly if it would have been worth it this year to forfeit a first-round pick in the name of ending the drought, Yzerman answered directly: “No.”
In this market, he said, a first-round pick alone wouldn’t have been enough to acquire a player who’s “going to make us better and bump somebody out of the lineup.”
“We’re talking third- and fourth-line players where we’re gong to have to give up a first- or second-round pick. We got those guys,” Yzerman said. “To get guys that are making a difference, it’s first-round pick, plus, plus. And right or wrong, I’m not doing that, because I don’t believe that that’s enough. It’s different if you told me, ‘You’re going to the Cup.’ But if you sit there at the draft and you’re still a team that’s building, hoping to get into the playoffs, and you don’t have your first- or second-round picks, that’s not the way to do it. I’m sorry.”
It can feel like it at times, but Yzerman isn’t necessarily hoarding assets. He sent a first-round pick to Ottawa two years ago to acquire a core player in Alex DeBrincat, Detroit’s leading goal-scorer this season. But the plan is painfully patient, and will succeed or fail on the backs of Yzerman’s draft picks. You can believe in it based on players like Moritz Seider, Lucas Raymond and Simon Edvinsson, with more talent trickling into Detroit. You can resist it for the same reason: it’s a stream more than a wave. In six years, Yzerman has added four clear keepers to Detroit’s roster via the draft, Marco Kasper included.
He has had his blunders, headlined by the Jake Walman fiasco last summer. Yzerman sacrificed a second-round pick to unload a top-four defenseman on a good contract, then watched him get traded for a first-round pick less than a year later. That’s the sort of bad business that a talent-deficient team can’t afford. And while Yzerman has raised the Wings’ floor in free agency, he’s done little to lift their ceiling. That has to change this summer — Sam Bennett, anyone?
Yzerman acknowledged that Detroit’s additions on Friday weren’t “earth-shattering.” But he wasn’t willing to shake the ground beneath the rebuild “just to try and hope for us to get in. This isn’t the time for us to do that.”
“We’re prepared to use our picks and prospects, but it’s gotta be for players that one, we really like and that we believe in, and then, who are going to be a part of this thing next year and for years beyond. Otherwise, this whole thing has been a waste, a waste of time, I think, and would just set us back and delay it even further,” Yzerman said. “And nobody wants that.”
And Detroit Hockey Now’s Kevin Allen tackled Yzerman’s remarks on Mrazek…
Mrazek, 33, started his career with Detroit, playing for the Red Wings from 2012-2018. He has this season and next left on a contract paying him $4.25 million per season.
“In acquiring Petr Mrazek, we expect him to play games.” Detroit general manager Steve Yzerman said. “How many I’m not sure. It will be based on performance for all three guys.”
The Red Wings will keep three goalies on their roster.
“One thing that is also attractive to us is that he signed for another season,” Yzerman said. “The goalie market now…looking into the summer, what goalies are signing for, the term and the dollar amount, what are options are today, and what are options might be in the offseason, we thought it was good insurance for us.”
Right, the Red Wings have Cam Talbot and Mrazek now under contract for next season, and Alex Lyon will be a UFA this summer.
While Detroit Hockey Now’s Bob Duff took the Craig Smith remarks:
Smith is a five-time 20-goal scorer as an NHLer.
“Historically, Craig has been a guy that’s been able to shoot the puck in the net a little bit and, and we can use a little bit of that,” Yzerman said. “I think he’ll be a guy that can generate a little bit of offense, create some chances and hopefully they go in not only for him, but the guys he’s playing with.”
Widening focus, The Athletic’s Mark Lazerus gave the Wings a “B-” for their trade, and The Athletic’s Max Bultman noted this…
Yzerman on what they see in Mrázek: “It’s a strange time in the NHL for goaltenders. People that played with and were here in the organization when Petr was here early in his career really support him, the person, and his competitiveness. It’s up and down around the league. We look at goals against averages, save percentage of goaltenders, and it’s a bit all over the place. One thing that also was attractive to us is he’s signed for another season. And the goalie market right now, looking into the summer, what goalies are signing for, the term and the dollar amounts, for what our options were today and what … our options might be in the offseason, we thought it’s good insurance for us maybe. And it doesn’t necessarily preclude us, should we want to — if an option comes up whether it’s trade or free agency — at potentially doing something else. Right now, we have two goaltenders signed for next year, and we’re comfortable with that. And for the remainder of this year on Petr, we think his competitiveness and his experience will give us some quality starts.”
It’s also worth noting that NHL.com pointed out that Mrazek didn’t have a place to play after the Blackhawks acquired Spencer Knight from the Florida Panthers…
Mrazek is in the first year of a two-year contract he signed with the Blackhawks on Jan. 24, 2024, and can become an unrestricted free agent after next season. The 33-year-old goalie is 10-19-2 with a 3.46 goals-against average and an .890 save percentage in 33 games this season. He started 56 games for Chicago last season and 39 in 2022-23.
The trade comes six days after the Blackhawks acquired goalie Spencer Knight in a trade with the Florida Panthers on March 1.
“You don’t want to jump into something quickly for something that might not make sense, so we’ll see what happens now or in the summer,” Mrazek said after practice Thursday. “It’s a business. This is what it is, that’s what happens in hockey, and I move on. I’m still going to be here, coming in with a great attitude. What happens in the summer or next few days, we’ll see.”
While Joe Veleno gets a new opportunity…
Veleno has 10 points (five goals, five assists) in 56 games this season. The 25-year-old center was a first-round pick (No. 30) by Detroit at the 2018 NHL Draft and has 74 points (35 goals, 39 assists) in 288 games.
“He’s got some pace, got some size to his game,” Blackhawks general manager Kyle Davidson said of Veleno. “I think he can play the center position, so there’s some versatility to him. He’s still only 25 and we’ll give him some run, give him some opportunity and see what he can do.
“He’s been on the scene for quite some time. He came in very highly-touted, he’s a talented guy and we’ll give him some opportunity and see if we can pull some additional value out of him, and sometimes a little opportunity and a change of scenery does that for some guys.”
WXYZ’s Brad Galli posted a short clip of the Yzerman presser, if you don’t have 40 minutes to spend watching the whole thing…
And if you’re a pessimist, you’ll love Daily Faceoff’s Matt Larkin’s take on the Wings’ moves:
It’s not even that Detroit got left in the dust by the top teams in its division in Florida, Toronto and Tampa. Even worse news was the Wings watching the Senators get serious and make noteworthy moves for Cozens and Zetterlund. The Wings were a deer in the headlights aside from a head-scratcher trade adding Petr Mrazek to a goalie stable that already has Cam Talbot and Alex Lyon. One point back of Ottawa, the Wings totally whiffed on Friday. It was a disastrous day for GM Steve Yzerman. Arguably no fan base should feel more disappointed than Detroit’s. The second-longest playoff drought in the NHL could stretch from eight to nine years.
I’m not buying that stuff, but we’ll see how things pan out over time.
Cozens definitely makes Ottawa better, but I didn’t want him here especially with his contract. My biggest issue is how did we get no defensive help. You are telling me Anaheim wouldn’t take Veleno and a pick for Gudas? Only has a year left on his contract for the same money Mrazek will be making next season. Add much needed toughness and give Edvinsson some real help.