It has now been more than a decade since Detroit Red Wings were in that kind of position before the NHL trade deadline.
For the first time since 2015, they could very well be buyers rather than sellers, with the annual deadline quickly approaching (March 6) after the Olympic holiday ends.
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Currently third overall in the Atlantic Division (tied with the Montreal Canadiens, who have a game in hand, with 72 points apiece), the Red Wings would end their long playoff drought and bring Stanley Cup Playoff hockey to Little Caesars Arena for the first time if they started today.
That being said, the Red Wings have been linked to several NHL players who could soon be leaving their own respective clubs.
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While the Red Wings made a few minor acquisitions last season in early March, acquiring goaltender Petr Mrazek and depth forward Craig Smith from the Chicago Blackhawks for underperforming former first-round pick Joe Veleno, their lack of significant additions drew a backlash from team captain Dylan Larkin.
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Over the past few seasons, the Red Wings have dealt away players such as Gustav Nyquist, Tomas Tatar, Nick Jensen, Mike Green, Andreas Athanasiou, Vladislav Namestnikov, Tyler Bertuzzi, Nick Leddy, Jakub Vrana and Oskar Sundqvist at the NHL trade deadline.
Hall of Famer Chris Pronger weighs in on Red Wings defenseman Moritz Seider
These teams had fallen out of playoff contention to varying degrees, a stark contrast to the position the current Red Wings find themselves in.
Although they are currently in playoff position, the Red Wings would benefit greatly from the addition of a true right-handed defenseman and a top-six forward.
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Given Detroit’s salary cap flexibility, an acquisition of both would be feasible, as the team has nearly $13 million in available cap space to work with.
Having posted their best record at this point in a season since 2015, the Red Wings obtained reinforcements at the trade deadline.
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