Flyers defenseman linked to Red Wings ahead of Trade Deadline
Will Red Wings general manager Steve Yzerman be in a position to buy this time around at the Trade Deadline rather than sell?
The Detroit Red Wings are on a tear, having won 7-straight games for the second time since Todd McLellan was hired as head coach on December 26.
In doing so, they've vaulted themselves right back into a postseason position, as they currently occupy one of the two Wild Card spots in the Eastern Conference ahead of Saturday's clash against the divisional foe Tampa Bay Lightning (1:00 PM, FanDuel Sports Detroit, 97.1 The Ticket).
Red Wings fans who have gotten used to seeing their team be sellers at the annual Trade Deadline will be happy to know that general manager Steve Yzerman could be in a position to buy this year around rather than sell off assets.
Could be be eyeballing a particular defenseman from the Philadelphia Flyers? Per The Daily Faceoff, an upgrade in the form of Rasmus Ristolainen could be in the cards.
Detroit's offense has improved quite a bit under McLellan, so I look at the defense as a point of concern. Especially in light of the Jeff Petry injury, the Red Wings could use some help on the back end; an addition back there may help contribute to the offense, as well. Aside from Simon Edvinsson (20) and Moritz Seider (32), no Detroit defenseman has reached the 20 point plateau this season.
As Daily Faceoff's Matt Larkin wrote about a few weeks back, Philadelphia Flyers defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen could make sense for the Red Wings. The 30 year old does have two years remaining on his contract at an AAV of $5.1 million, so the Red Wings would have to be prepared to absorb a non-rental; I also have no indication that the Flyers would entertain retaining salary on Ristolainen, either.
Ristolainen, 30, is under contract through 2027 with an AAV (average annual value) of $5.1 million.
| POLL | ||
FEVRIER 6 | 220 ANSWERS Flyers defenseman linked to Red Wings ahead of Trade Deadline Should the Red Wings make a trade with the Flyers for Rasmus Ristolainen to shore up their blue line? | ||
| Yes | 141 | 64.1 % |
| No | 79 | 35.9 % |
| List of polls | ||
