Potential Pickups
Scott Burnside over at ESPN has a good article on some of the players who might be available via trade prior to the trade deadline. I’ve said plenty about Peter Forsberg, but what about some of the other players who could help the Wings out come playoff time?
This MLIVE article from Ansar Khan includes a quote regarding the type of player Ken Holland is looking for:
“I’d like to add a gritty forward,'’ Holland said. “But whoever’s got those gritty forwards that can play regularly, they’re not going to let them go unless the team is falling out of playoff (contention). Everybody is looking for a top-six gritty forward who can compete and win battles and play with skilled players. There’s not a lot of those guys out there.'’
So if we look strictly at the forwards on Burnside’s list here are the players he mentions as potentially being available:
Craig Conroy - C
Jozef Stumpel - C/W
Ladislav Nagy - W
Keith Tkachuk - W
Bill Guerin - W
Todd Bertuzzi - W
Gary Roberts - W
Darcy Tucker -W
This doesn’t mean these are the only players the Wings would consider. In Khan’s article he mentions that Wings management will look at the rosters of every NHL and AHL team in order to try and find the player who would be the best fit. It doesn’t mean they will be able to deal for the players they covet, but it shows they are casting a wide net.
So looking at this list and keeping in mind the type of player Ken Holland is looking for, here is the order I would choose for relevant players.
1. Bill Guerin - Part of my reason for putting Guerin at the top of the list is I have always had a nickname for the forward that is very Wings-centric. I call him Bill Guerin, the Red Wing killer. He always does well against Detroit. He can hit, has good wheels and would likely make the second line dangerous once again.
2. Keith Tkachuk - Tkachuk is the one power forward on the list who isn’t damaged goods (more on that later). I am not sure I would want to sign Tkachuk long-term, but he could be very effective on a short-term basis. He does take some bad penalties but he would also add some scoring punch to the second line, provide another pest in front of the net on power plays and add some needed grit amongst the top forwards.
3. Darcy Tucker - He’s a bit undersized and sacrafices defense (on pace to go -39 over past 4 seasons) for offense (on pace for 94 goals and 186 points over same time period). But he would add some sandpaper to the lineup and does well when he is on the ice with skilled players (see this year and last season). The reason why I would consider Tucker is Detroit is solid defensively, being amongst the league leaders in fewest shots on goal and goals allowed. But the team needs some offensive firepower and Tucker could provide that while also being one of the physical players Detroit needs in the lineup.
4. Todd Bertuzzi - Man, is this ever a tough call. A couple years ago this guy was the next Brendan Shanahan. He was a beast and just lethal in front of the net. With the new rules this guy seemed likely to be a 50 goal scorer year in and year out. Then he went apes*#t on Steve Moore and hasn’t been the same since. Oh, and he is also returning from back surgery. You are taking a risk with this guy, but he has some of the elements Detroit is looking for. I’d rate him similar to dealing for Forsberg: it isn’t the first deal the Wings will likely seek but they might do something if there are no other appealing options.
5. Gary Roberts - Wow, this guy was on the Calgary cup-winning team that was backstopped by Mike Vernon. I wouldn’t be shocked if he actually played for Toe Blake early in his career. All joking aside, this is another guy that might be a plan b acquisition. He is physical, is good in the locker room and can still score goals - he’s on pace for 20 goals and was a point-a-game playoff performer for Toronto in 2000-01 and 2001-02. He definitely seems like the type of player Ken Holland picks up at the trade deadline. What I mean with that comment is that acquiring him wouldn’t kill the Wings in terms of prospects or draft picks.
This matter is complicated by the fact St. Louis has climbed back into the playoff picture. So long as they have a solid chance at competing for the 8th playoff spot they could hold off on any trade talk. Last year Edmonton barely snuck into the playoffs as an 8 seed and went all the way to Game 7 of the Stanley Cup playoffs. While I don’t think the Blues have the makeup to pull off the same feat, they do have enough talent to stay in the hunt for a while. That may not be the case though as we near the trading deadline.
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[…] The guy I still have at the top of my wish list is Bill Guerin, but strictly as a rental. St. Louis Blues president John Davidson has been coy regarding what he will do with Guerin: “Listen, here’s where it is with Billy: Billy didn’t play in the playoffs last year, and Billy didn’t play the year before because there was no hockey,” Davidson said. “Billy is a guy that, you never know, if he did get traded, and that’s a big if, he may want to come back during the summer. If we miss the playoffs and Billy’s here and we didn’t re-sign him, we’d be caught with nothing. That’s not a good thing for the future of the St. Louis Blues. There’s all kinds of different options with a guy like Billy.” […]
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