Red Wings pivot towards trades, reportedly looking to move veteran defensemen and prospect Jonatan Berggren for assets.
Recent reports suggest that the Detroit Red Wings are looking to move veteran defensemen Erik Gustafsson and Justin Holl, with additional reports on Monday appearing to confirm the validity of those rumors.
Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman added to the conversation by mentioning the two players are being involved in trade rumors but have been for some time with Red Wings GM Steve Yzerman seemingly having a hard time dealing the two veteran blueliners. A new bit of information that Friedman presented was that Jonatan Berggren could also be available as well with the former second round pick losing ice-time due to the rise of Detroit's rookies in Emmitt Finnie and Michael Brandsegg-Nygård.
The move would be a fresh start for the 25-year-old and a package deal to a team that is also looking for veteran presences on the blue line could help. It's hard to say what teams would be looking to do so but Berggren at one point showed high prospect pedigree as the 33rd overall pick in the 2018 NHL Draft, making him nearly a first round talent. If Yzerman could convert the player into more draft capital or a potential improvement in another area of the team, it could go a long way to helping the team sustain their hot start.
Before coming to North America, Berggren produced 60 points in 99 games in the Swedish Hockey League with Skellefteå AIK between 2017–21 before making the transition to North American hockey for the 2021-22 season. During his first season with the Grand Rapids Griffins, he exploded with 64 points in 70 games, setting a rookie scoring record for the franchise. Since then, he's seen more regular minutes with the Red Wings and over his brief NHL career, Berggren has 29 goals and 29 assists for 58 points in 156 games.
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Holl and Gustafsson are both past their glory days at 33 years old respectively and have struggled early on this season. The duo found themselves caught in a backlog of defenders heading into training camp and preseason with things only getting worse when Yzerman brought in yet another veteran blueliner in Travis Hamonic. The move ended up being a bad one as the 35-year-old struggled to keep up, allowing three goals in the season opener and having no played a game since. The group of six defenders Detroit has been rolling with so far have been doing well and could likely see Hamonic join the trade block as well.
The trio are all vying for a seventh defenseman spot that Hamonic has held onto so far with Holl and Gustafsson showing their worth at the AHL level. The duo have helped the Red Wings get out to a 4-0-0 start with nine goals allowed. This should hopefully show that the two are still worth NHL minutes and could raise their stock before being dealt.
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Early on this season, the Ottawa Senators, Calgary Flames and San Jose Sharks find themselves with the three worst defenses in the league with adding a veteran defender like Holl or Gustafsson maybe not going a long way towards sizeable improvement but could help the team present a different look.
Holl has shown to be an above average defender in certain systems like during the 2022-23 season with the Toronto Maple Leafs, where he played in 80 games and posted 18 points along with 151 hits, 139 blocked shots and a +15 rating. Since signing with the Red Wings, the fit hasn't been there as he's tallied 13 points in 111 games over the last two seasons. His flashes of success have shown Holl to be a reliable top four defenseman as well as a penalty killer that can use his size and reach in defensive zone play that earned him his contract with Detroit. His $3.4 million cap hit is a very bad one for what would now be a bottom pairing defenseman and likely gives him the lowest odds of being traded out of the group on the trade block.
Gustafsson on the other hand, has proven to be more of an offensive threat as a former power play quarterback during his time with the Chicago Blackhawks with his stock reaching as high as a top pairing defenseman. The Swedish import has been more than effective in some seasons, posting a career-high 60 points during the 2018-19 season with Chicago. This level of production quickly tailed off due to injuries and missed time but if given the right role and playing in the right system, he could still produce 20-40 points like he has in each of the last three seasons. His $2 million cap hit over the next two seasons is reasonable for a player that could have high upside for a few more years and would be the more likely candidate to be dealt over Holl.
The Red Wings’ trade situation with Gustafsson, Holl, and Berggren gives Steve Yzerman a chance to clear roster space and add future assets. Gustafsson’s offense and reasonable contract make him the most tradeable, while Holl’s higher cap hit and limited role could make a move harder. Trading Berggren could give the young forward a fresh start and help Detroit balance its lineup. How Yzerman handles these deals will show whether the team is focused on winning now or building for the future.
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