NHL Trade Rumors: 5 deals the Red Wings should make

The Detroit Red Wings will be selling at the deadline to build around their bright, young core of players.

Longtime general manager Peter Holland won’t admit it, but the Detroit Red Wings are rebuilding.

After two decades as a dominant force, time has caught up with Detroit. Henrik Zetterberg and Niklas Kronwall are some of the last pieces of the old core that brought Detroit their last Stanley Cup.

Detroit will be looking to build around their talented young players like Dylan Larkin, Anthony Mantha, and Tyler Bertuzzi. The Red Wings will try to drop their older players and bigger contracts at the deadline. The Red Wings have already moved on from Petr Mrazek, trading him earlier this week to the Philadelphia Flyers for future draft picks.

5. Move Mike Green to Caps or Leafs

Defenseman Mike Green is the player with the most value on Detroit this deadline. Green was an All-Star this year and has collected 29 points in 56 games. Playoff teams looking for a boost on their blue line will be looking to add Mike Green; he can quarterback the power play and has grown defensively. The Red Wings will be looking for a trade return like the St. Louis Blues got for Kevin Shattenkirk. Which were two forwards, a first-round pick, and conditional draft picks.

The two teams that are a fit for Mike Green are the Washington Capitals or the Toronto Maple Leafs. Washington is in the same place as last year in that it needs to add a defenseman with offensive skill. The Capitals bet big on Shattenkirk last season, and it didn’t work out. They could be shy about pulling off another defensive rental at the deadline. Toronto has a similar need for an offensive defenseman. Toronto has a high-flying offense, but its depth at defense is lacking. Bringing in a player like Mike Green would help them move some defenseman into roles they are a better fit to play.