Although many won’t like both sides to this story, we have finally gotten some answers regarding the Detroit Red Wings’ defense carousel. General manager Steve Yzerman oddly traded Jake Walman to the San Jose Sharks for a bag of pucks, and no real move of substance followed. Yzerman continued to clear space by moving Robby Fabbri to Anaheim in yet another cap-clearing transaction, and again, no real impactful move followed. Maybe the addition of Vladimir Tarasenko, but to me, the skillful forward replaces David Perron in Detroit’s lineup. Perhaps there is still a significant move coming this summer? If not, although Yzerman has improved the team in various ways, he’s also damaged it in other facets, like the backend.
Maybe the cap-clearing moves were indeed to clear enough space to acquire New York Rangers captain Jacob Trouba. Still, the veteran defender reportedly foiled a potential deal between the Red Wings and New York by invoking his 15-team no-trade list to stop the move.
The New York Post mentioned that when Trouba signed this current seven-year, $56M contract in July 2019 after being acquired as a pending restricted free agent from Winnipeg, his five-year no-movement clause was designed to expire in conjunction with his wife, Kelly Tyson-Trouba’s completion of her three-year residency at a New York hospital.
Jacob Trouba said to of blocked trade to the Detroit Red Wings.
According to ESPN’s Emily Kaplan, she expects Trouba to be on the Rangers’ roster to kick off the 2024-25 season. “If I had to put my money on it right now, my gut is he will be on the Rangers opening night roster,” Kaplan told Jay Onrait on TSN.“Even though this was a really uncomfortable process over these last several days and weeks.”
“Unless something changes in the next three months,” Kaplan said. “He’s going to come back to this team, and we’re going to see what kind of captain he is. This was a really awkward and uncomfortable situation behind the scenes.”
Trouba carries an $8 million cap hit for the next two seasons. The reported deal between Detroit and New York just before the beginning of free agency suggested the Rangers would retain $2.5 million in each of the next two seasons, leaving the Red Wings on the hook for $5.5 million, which significantly eases the financial blow. It’s a shame the reported deal didn’t occur because the Red Wings could use a bit of nasty on the backend. Trouba isn’t a first-pairing defender, but he’d slot in nicely on the right side behind Moritz Seider on Detroit’s second pairing with a young player like Simon Edvinsson. The Rochester, Michigan native posted three goals and 22 points over 69 games last season with the President’s Trophy-winning Rangers last season.
The deal falling through explains a few things, although if my hunch is true, it’s a big irresponsible by Yzerman. The only thing that explains the Walman deal to San Jose is clearing space for Trouba, but the deal fell through (as of now), so the Red Wings currently sit without Trouba and Walman. I have reservations that Walman is a real NHL top pairing defender for a variety of reasons, but with the organization parting ways with Shayne Gostisbehere, it felt as though Walman would be in for a more prominent role on special teams in 2024-25, but it won’t be in Detroit.
Yzerman did sign free agent defenseman Erik Gustafsson to a two-year deal worth $4 million in an attempt to perpetuate some of the offense lost by losing Walman and Gostisbehere.
