Red Wings: 4 players to target in a trade due to flat salary cap
By Bob Heyrman
Winger- Jaden Schwartz
Last season Yzerman fleeced the St. Louis Blues acquiring forward Robby Fabbri in a deal that sent fourth line center Jacob de La Rose to the Blues. The Blues didn’t have a top-nine forward spot for Fabbri and needed a penalty killing-type forward who could play down the middle.
It was a deal that greatly benefitted the Red Wings, especially when you consider de La Rose had been a waiver claim former GM Ken Holland added from the Montreal Canadiens. When you think about it, the Wings landed a top-six forward (in compliance to their roster), for nothing.
If Fabbri remains in Detroit for the long-term, he’s best suited playing on the third line adding depth to the wing or down the middle. He has the potential to excel in either position playing against opposing teams’ bottom-six forwards.
Maybe, just maybe, Yzerman can strike another deal with the Blues, hopefully landing a player like Jaden Schwartz a forward that would fit in perfectly on the Red Wings top line playing on the left-wing alongside Dylan Larkin and Anthony Mantha.
Something has to give for the Blues. When push comes to shove, they will likely opt to move a forward such as Schwartz, in an attempt to retain their captain, Alex Pietrangelo, who is a pending free agent. Pietrangelo will command a hefty price, somewhere around $10-million per season.
Schwartz is a four-time 20-plus goal scorer. He’s exactly what the Detroit Red Wings need. This past season in 71 contests, Schwartz netted 22 goals, added 35 assists totaling 57 points. He produced an impressive 53.4 Corsi For Percentage to piggyback on his stellar career average of 54.1.
Schwartz is under contract through the end of next season with a cap hit of $5.35 million. Very affordable for the Red Wings.