The National Hockey League Trade Deadline is tomorrow afternoon, and the Detroit Red Wings have made their first move.
They've traded defenseman Troy Stecher to the Los Angeles Kings, and in return received a 7th round selection in this year's NHL Draft.
UPDATE: The Detroit #RedWings today acquired a 7th round pick in the 2022 NHL Entry Draft from the Los Angeles Kings in exchange for defenseman Troy Stecher. pic.twitter.com/Ao61adhzzm
— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) March 20, 2022
A pending unrestricted free agent, Stecher first arrived in Detroit in 2020 after signing a two-year, $3.4 million deal. He was certainly excited to sign his deal with the Red Wings after spending the first part of his career with the Vancouver Canucks.
“It was a mutual interest between both groups (during free agency),” Stecher said after arriving. “Obviously with the organization, and myself as a player,” Stecher described earlier this month. “I like the age group of their core, with (Dylan) Larkin and (Anthony) Mantha and (Tyler) Bertuzzi. They’re all kind of the same age as I am. Not overly old. I’m not young, but I have four years of experience in the league now. So, hopefully, I can mesh well with the group.”
In 16 games played this season, he's scored one goal with one assist; he had missed three months after recovering from wrist surgery.
As was the case with Stecher, there are still several players on the Red Wings roster who are on expiring contracts and could be unloaded by GM Steve Yzerman. They include the likes of Vladislav Namestnikov, Sam Gagner, and Nick Leddy. Of course, Leddy has been held out of Detroit's past two games against Vancouver and the Seattle Kraken, meaning that a deal could be imminent.
Additionally, there have been rumors surrounding 2nd leading scorer Tyler Bertuzzi, though he effectively shut down any desire to leave by saying his “100%” desire is to remain with the only NHL club he's ever suited up for.
The Trade Deadline is tomorrow at 3:00 PM EST, and we'll be keeping our eyes open for any additional moves.
