NHL Trade Rumors: 5 deals the Red Wings should make

4. Move on from Gustav Nyquist

The hardest part of rebuilding a roster is getting rid of players who still have multiple years on their contract and are quality pieces. That being said, it is time to move on from Gustav Nyquist. The forward has had strong seasons for Detroit, finishing with over 40 points every season since becoming a consistent NHL player. With 28 points so far this season, he is on pace for another good year. Nyquist is going to become an unrestricted free agent at the end of next season.

Detroit must decide what its plan is with him for the long term. Nyquist will likely have his highest price this deadline, and Detroit could cash in. If the Red Wings decide to hold on to Nyquist, he becomes a rental piece at next year’s deadline. The value of Nyquist will not be the same and Detroit will be hoping he has a strong first half to next season. For a team looking to acquire as many future assets as possible, dealing Nyquist makes a lot of sense.

Because Nyquist is not a rental, that opens the market to a lot more teams. A team like Buffalo could be interested in adding Nyquist for the next season and a half to add some offense to its second or third line. With Evander Kane likely leaving, the Buffalo Sabres will want to replace his offense. A deal for Nyquist would likely be a pick in the second or third round plus a b-level prospect. Detroit would be happy to get his $4.75 million-dollar contract off the books as it reloads talent.