MTPS: How Steve Yzerman's Desperation Could Be Chris Drury's Salvation

I know, I know, I've traded Vincent Trocheck so many times you would think I would be bored of it by now. Well, I'm not. I promise I'll stop as soon as he's traded, which, if you're to believe the rumors, could be this summer.

As always, we begin at the beginning.

It was yet another disappointing season for Steve Yzerman's Detroit Red Wings.

The Red Wings came out fairly strong this year, posting a record of 32-15-6 through the season's first four months and looking to all the world like a playoff team in the NHL's Eastern Conference.

Alas, the season had two and a half more months to go, and down the stretch the Red Wings stumbled, posting a record of 9-13-4 from February through the end of the season and finding themselves on the outside of the playoffs looking in. Like dogs with their nose pressed against the glass. Playoff cucks if you want to be really mean about it.

Making Detroit's miss all the more damning for general manager Steve Yzerman was that, reportedly, there were real opportunities for him to improve the team, but he chose against making any of his top prospects available for players he deemed to be "rentals." Instead, Yzerman surrendered an unprotected 2026 first round pick, 2026 third round pick in 2026, Dmitri Buchelnikov, and Justin Holl for 34-year-old defenseman Justin Faulk. and traded a 2026 fourth round pick to the Ottawa Senators to reacquire 38-year-old David Perron.

Shockingly—which is to say, not shockingly—neither of these moves helped Detroit secure a playoff spot.

Look, I get Yzerman's point. It's not ideal to deal assets with future value like prospects and high draft picks for players who are free to leave you in a month. That said, exceptions can, and often should, be made. We'll never know what Detroit had on the table or what they could have acquired if Yzerman were more aggressive. What we do know is that what he did this year didn't work and it comes on the heels of his team captain, Dylan Larkin, being, shall we say, "less than enamored" with his GM's strategy at the deadline a year ago. The Athletic's Scott Wheeler recently ranked the Red Wings as having the fourth best prospect pool in the NHL.

All of this is to say, prospects are cool, but parades are cooler. Sometimes you have to make exceptions to your strategy. And when you are seeing a weakened Eastern Conference with no clear favorite, your team core is starting to get to the point where it's time to shit or get off the pot, and your captain is begging for help, that seems like a good time to make one of those exceptions and go the extra mile.

Following the season, either due to his own recognition or feedback from ownership, Yzerman seems ready to be a little more aggressive, and he has a specific target in mind.

To quote one of my favorite television shows...

"Okay. Let's... I tell you what, let's forget the fact that you're coming a little late to the party and embrace the fact that you showed up at all."

Vincent Trocheck is actually a great fit for the Detroit Red Wings. Not only would he bring some additional leadership to the room, a Team USA connection with Larkin, and the "proven playoff performer" label, but he would absolutely bring some much needed 5v5 performance to the ice. As much as he irks me, he's an elite faceoff man, would help on special teams, and, in the right situation, can add some scoring punch. Moreover, his acquisition would push players like Andrew Copp and J.T. Compher down to bottom-six roles where they belong.

The price of acquisition would not be cheap.

Chris Drury refused to trade Vincent Trocheck at the deadline, with reports claiming that he was seeking a first round pick, prospect, and NHL-ready player in return for the 32 year old. I'm OK with that. Center is a premium position in the NHL, and if you want a good one you should pay a premium price. Nazem Kadri, who had a full no-movement clause, is nearly 36, and locked in for another three seasons after this one fetched a first, a second, a mid-level prospect, and another player to balance out the salary cap implications. The trade protection is a real thing—the Calgary Flames probably could have gotten more for Kadri if he were willing to be traded to other teams, but he was only willing to go to the Colorado Avalanche, and the Flames just wanted to move on.

With Trocheck, you can start a bidding war among the teams not covered by his trade protection list. Beyond that, the bone-dry free agent market certainly helps Drury's cause. Heading into this summer, the top three centers on the free agent market project to be Charlie Coyle, Scott Laughton, and maybe Jonny Brodzinski.

So, yeah, Drury should get more for Trocheck than Calgary got for Kadri.

How much more? Solid question. Glad you asked.