Red Wings Add Stuart at Deadline
Detroit passes on making big splash, instead grabs solid defenseman
With big names jumping rosters throughout the NHL at the trading deadline, the Detroit Red Wings were relatively quiet in acquiring Brad Stuart.
The NHL trading deadline has come and gone, and the Detroit Red Wings were very un-Red Wing-like in their decision to essentially stand pat.
The acquisition of defenseman Brad Stuart from the Los Angeles Kings for a pair of future draft picks pales by comparison to deadline moves General Manager Ken Holland has made in recent seasons, but it might just prove that this year, minor moves were the best moves for the Wings.
If healthy, the Wings are as solid as any team in the Western Conference, even after some big name shuffling bolstered the rosters of the likes of Anaheim, San Jose and Colorado. The critical point in that is the Wings need to get healthy, a status they currently lack and which likely was the leading factor in snagging Stuart. Defensemen Nicklas Lidstrom, Niklas Kronwall and Brian Rafalski are recovering from injuries, and though all are due back ahead of the playoffs, depth was a concern.
In Stuart, a 6-foot-2, 28-year-old, Coach Mike Babcock now has the freedom to rotate youngsters Brett Lebda and Andres Lilja, as well as veteran Chris Chelios, who's also nursing a recent injury, in and out of the lineup. In 63 games for the Kings this season, Stuart had five goals and 16 assists. To get him, the Wings gave Los Angeles a second-round pick in the 2008 draft and a fourth-rounder in 2009.
What some Red Wings' fans fear is that Holland failed to address the team's need for second-line scorer. Certainly the reunion with former Hockeytown hero Darren McCarty is not viewed as an offensive boost. Holland's apparent interest in reacquiring Sergei Federov is evidence that adding another scoring weapon was a concern. But his failure to make a serious bid to get Federov, Marian Hossa or any of the other big name free agent forwards is also an admission that he didn't want to give too much for a player who might only be in town a matter of months.
Essentially, Holland believes that the Wings - again, when healthy - have the players they need to make a legitimate Stanley Cup run. Getting Dan Cleary back in the lineup is critical, but as important is the play of forwards Valtteri Filppula, Johan Franzen and Jiri Hudler. Somebody must emerge as a consistent threat aside from Henrik Zetterberg and Pavel Datsyuk.
Offering hope is that the Wings', despite injuries to a handful of their key players and a 1-7-2 record in their last 10 games, have managed to maintain their No. 1 seed in the Western Conference. After their 4-3 shoot-out loss to Edmonton Feb. 26 (and with 16 games to play), the Wings' 90 points were five better than Dallas for tops in the Western Conference, and 10 points in front East-leading New Jersey.
