Will the Red Wings trade Jonatan Berggren at the deadline, or will they keep one of their top NHL ready prospects? Also notes on Marco Kasper, Simon Edvinsson, Trey Augustine and Red Savage.

At long last after a painful rebuild, the Red Wings are in arm's reach of the playoffs. But with success comes sacrifice, and just what degree of the latter Detroit plans to make becomes the center of attention ahead of this Friday’s trade deadline.

Key among the considerations: what will Jonatan Berggren’s future look like with the Red Wings. The 23-year-old Swedish winger has proven himself to be a capable NHL player, with his deceptive style creating goals even if his scoring trailed off at times last season. Yet for the large part, Detroit’s depth has prevented it from calling up Berggren besides nine games earlier this season. He has spent the majority of the season in Grand Rapids, scoring 19 goals and 46 points in 43 games for a red-hot Griffins team.

With Berggren, though, the greatest conversation around his game as of late has been whether he could be intriguing trade bait for the Red Wings to pick up an impact player ahead of the playoffs. Whenever the whiff of a trade rumor hits the open air, Berggren is theorized as one of the assets that could go the other way.

But think of it this way — due to the nature of the roster, Berggren is more a piece of the future than the present. Therefore, is it worth moving a piece of the future for a chance at success now? It’s hard to make the playoffs in the NHL, and teams are wise to try and maximize their opportunities when they can punch their ticket. However, the long term value of Berggren could make moving him a risky gambit, especially for a rental that may or may not work out.

In terms of contention, this season is a bit of an early success all things considered. Many of the key pillars of this Detroit team are trade and signing acquisitions such as J.T. Compher, David Perron, Patrick Kane and Alex DeBrincat. There’s still a load of prospects like Nate Danielson, Axel Sandin Pellikka and even Simon Edvinsson down the road, just to name drop a few of the current blue chips who the Red Wings will build around for the future. Berggren finds himself in the mushy middle between these situations.

Detroit could benefit from keeping Berggren around, not only as a potential replacement if a top nine scorer gets hurt, but also in the next few years when its young guns are finding their form and its veterans are showing their age. One must also consider Berggren's immediate impact too — there's even the chance Berggren gets a call-up this week with Dylan Larkin injured for two weeks.

“Someone who’s playing well would fit, obviously,” Detroit coach Derek Lalonde said Tuesday when theorizing what call-ups might be made. “I mean, Austin Czarnik is a center — a true center. A lot of guys are playing well (down) there. If it's going to be Berggren, it’s a different fit. Obviously, he’s an offense guy that could probably complement our top six, top nine.”

It’s also that top six, top nine ability that makes Berggren such a fine trading chip. Teams would love to add him, especially with his young upside. Detroit, meanwhile, isn’t going to acquire someone at the deadline for cheap. Sellers know their worth, and they’re likely to make the Red Wings pay up in the form of Berggren or better. Moving him could lead to the acquisition of a player who could make them more competitive. Such is the cost analysis of any deadline deal.

What Detroit decides to do with Berggren could not only affect their strength heading into the playoffs, but it could also reverberate into the future. The Red Wings have a major decision on their hands when it comes to him. But after years on the other side of the deadline, such a dilemma is just a thorn they’ll have to make peace with compared to the rose of their playoff hopes.

Around the Prospect Pool

Marco Kasper

After picking up steam halfway through his first season in North America, Marco Kasper missed the Griffins’ most recent game with a minor upper body injury. Such a slight diagnosis is an encouraging sign for Kasper, who has scored 25 points in 51 games for Grand Rapids.

Simon Edvinsson

Much like Berggren, Simon Edvinsson is NHL ready, but depth has kept him in the AHL. In his most recent “32 Thoughts,” insider Elliotte Friedman reported that general manager Steve Yzerman is trying to move depth defenseman Justin Holl, who hasn’t played since January despite being on a three-year contract. If that happens, perhaps the trade could open up an opportunity for Edvinsson to earn a call-up to the big club, even though Yzerman has built a roster geared toward veterans more than budding rookies.

Trey Augustine and Red Savage

For the first time since joining the Big Ten, Michigan State has won its conference crown. Red Wings goalie prospect Trey Augustine is a big reason why. In the deciding series against Wisconsin, he stopped 44 out of 46 shots to earn the Big Ten title on Friday night, while he stopped 36 of 39 in a loss to the Badgers the next night. The Spartans are likely to be NCAA Tournament heavyweights, and they only need two wins to win the Big Ten Tournament, too. If he keeps playing like this, space in Augustine’s trophy cabinet could come at a premium. Fellow Red Wings prospect Red Savage also played in the game, taking four shots, blocking two and posting a 46% win rate on 41 faceoffs.

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