Follow our coverage of the NHL trade deadline on Friday at 6 a.m. on RDS and RDS.ca.
Transaction table
The Detroit Red Wings seem poised to approach the NHL trade deadline as sellers.
According to our collaborator Pierre LeBrun, the Wings might even be open to trading more than just their players who will soon be eligible for full autonomy.
Tuesday, the result of a second straight loss to the Ottawa Senators, Detroit (28-24-8) slipped a little further in the race for the drafted teams, five points behind the place they held last week .
LeBrun reports that general manager Steve Yzerman wants to trade forwards Tyler Bertuzzi (who will be free as air in July) and Jakub Vrana, while there is also a possibility that Filip Zadina will change address.
“The Red Wings currently recognize that the race in the East is tough, if not too tough. They can’t afford to let Bertuzzi slip away towards autonomy without getting anything. It is in this perspective that they wish to exchange them, Vrana and him. Zadina is a name that is also discussed internally; he’s a 23-year-old forward with two more years on his contract. »
The 28-year-old Bertuzzi has 14 points (4-10) in 29 games this season, having been injured early in the season. His salary accounts for $4.75 million on his club’s payroll.
After seeking help from the NHL Assistance Program and the Players’ Association early in the season, Vrana had two points in five games with Detroit.
In 2019 and 2020, Vrana, who is 27, had two consecutive 20+ goal seasons. His agreement, at $5.25 million per year, is valid until the end of the 2023-2024 calendar.
In 179 NHL games, Zadina, a former sixth overall pick, has 27 goals and 65 points. He pockets a salary of $ 1.825 million as part of a three-season pact signed in August 2022.
Edmonton: Offensive help now?
The Edmonton Oilers made one of the biggest catches of the day on Tuesday with the acquisition of defenseman Mattias Ekholm from the Nashville Predators.
It would seem that the Alberta team are now turning to the forward market.
Pierre LeBrun says Bertuzzi, along with Arizona Coyotes center Nick Bjugstad, are among the options general manager Ken Holland is considering.
The 30-year-old Bjugstad has 13 goals and 23 points in 59 games for Arizona this season. It’s the first time he’s scored 10 or more goals since producing 19 goals in 2017-18 at Florida.
Bjugstad’s salary, which will qualify for full autonomy, is $900,000.
The Wings are expected to demand a first-round pick for Bertuzzi’s services. The Oilers traded their first selection of 2023 to the Preds, but still own those from the 2024 and 2025 auctions.
JVR in the West?
The market continues to heat up for Philadelphia Flyers full-size winger James van Riemsdyk.
LeBrun says the Vegas Golden Knights, Winnipeg Jets and Calgary Flames have all shown interest in the American forward.
“Suddenly the Flyers are getting a high volume of calls for JVR, given the roster of players who are no longer available. Vegas is one of those clubs that calls, as well as Minnesota, but I imagine the additions of Marcus Johansson and Gustav Nyquist are a game-changer. Winnipeg and Calgary have also shown interest in van Riemsdyk. »
“If you look at what Seattle got last year for Calle Jarnkrok, a second and a third pick…I think that’s the kind of return the Flyers can expect,” said he specified.
Last week, his TSN colleague Chris Johnston suggested that Philadelphia is willing to withhold part of JVR’s remaining salary, which is $7 million. His deal ends in the summer of 2023.
In his second appearance with the Philly organization, JVR has 23 points including nine goals in 40 games this season. The Flyers are on track to miss the playoffs for the third straight season.
Flyers take calls for Provorov
According to our colleague Darren Dreger of TSN, the Flyers would take calls regarding Ivan Provorov.
Dreger said a trade for a defenseman of that caliber would be expensive since Provorov still has two more years left on his $6.75 million contract at the end of the season.
At 26, Provorov has four goals and 22 points in 61 games with the Flyers this season.
He was selected seventh overall in the 2015 draft. He also had 212 points in 511 games in his career in Philadelphia.
