Detroit Red Wings: Vladislav Namestnikov trade has robbery vibe to it

The Detroit Red Wings opted to move forward Vladislav Namestnikov at the trade deadline. They shipped him to the Dallas Stars for a fourth-round pick in the 2022 NHL Entry Draft. Frankly, the return seems a little light, and it feels like they could have gotten more.

It’s early to call this a bad trade for the Detroit Red Wings. Something that is extremely out of the ordinary for General Manager (GM) Steve Yzerman, though there are layers to this that could make it into a robbery for the Red Wings.

While the first thoughts are that the Red Wings should have pursued other options that led to higher draft pick returns, that’s probably the best that Yzerman could get. It’s one of those things where Namestnikov’s best offer was a fourth-round pick.

This part maybe because he is viewed as a rental forward. This is where the robbery vibe comes into play. The Stars gave up a fourth-round pick that may wind up being a “free pick” if plans fall into place as it seems they will. This would include re-signing Namestnikov.

Detroit Red Wings may have robbed the Stars in recent trade.

The Red Wings and Namestnikov had a good thing going. It was a mutual break-up for the two sides. Namestnikov has been with the team the past two seasons and has looked incredibly good for the team in 2021-22.

He played 60 games for the Red Wings this season, where he 13 goals and 12 assists for 25 total points. The early thoughts in 2021-22 were that Namestnikov was going to get an extension of the team did not move him.

Even after moving him, it still seems like the Red Wings are going to go out and pursue re-signing him. He would bring a great addition to the team for multiple reasons, and fans got a good taste of that over his 113 games in a winged-wheel jersey.

It’s not completely crazy to think that he would re-sign with the Red Wings either. He’s been a part of this team for two seasons has expressed his enjoyment of the organization and the fanbase, so bringing him back on a cost-effective deal seems like it is in the cards.

If this happens, the Red Wings will have robbed the Stars of their fourth-round draft pick in the 2022 NHL Entry Draft. This scenario where Namestnikov re-signs after this season is over would mean that the Red Wings got a “free” fourth-round pick and missed out on some games of Namestnikov in the lineup.

It seems like that is a likely scenario which is why this trade gives me robbery vibes.