Detroit Red Wings Trade For David Legwand
Contrary to popular opinion…mine, Ken Holland and the Detroit Red Wings pulled the trigger on a move, just under the wire of the 2014 NHL trade deadline, Wednesday @ 3:00 pm Eastern. In the deal, the Red Wings acquired Center, David Legwand, who attended Grosse Pointe North High School. Legwand played junior hockey for the Detroit Ambassadors, as well as the Plymouth Whalers. He was the first ever draft pick of the Nashville Predators, leading them in every meaningful statistical category…and now he’s come home.
What did the Red Wings lose?
Patrick Eaves
No big loss, really. Eaves has never managed to score more than 20 points in a single season, and often I found myself yelling at him through my television. As if he’d actually hear me. He’s amassed a total of 14 points over the past three seasons. 😛
Calle Järnkrok
Calle Järnkrok was drafted 51st overall by Detroit in the 2010 entry draft. He played a total of 57 games for the Griffins, netting a respectable 13/23/36 line, but with the logjam at center, he wasn’t going to see significant time with the Wings. There are unconfirmed “reports” that he was threatening to return to Sweden at the end of the season, if the Wings didn’t call him up. This is the piece of the trade that stings a bit, but IF he was playing the ‘call me up or else’ game, I can see the rationale. I almost would’ve preferred forcing him to leave, while holding his NHL rights.
3rd Round Pick
The Wings also surrendered a 3rd round pick in 2014. The kicker on this one is that the pick becomes a 2nd round pick, if the Red Wings make the playoffs. Rubbing some salt into the wound.
What did the Red Wings gain?
David Legwand
Legwand is a proven NHL player, who has never played less than 62 games in a season, giving the Wings a healthy track record. (Phew!) See his stats below, he’s scored 40 points this season, and is always described as a smooth skater. He possesses offensive skills, but he is also an outstanding defensive forward. Something this year’s Red Wings could very much use. (How many games do we lose in the final minute?!) Legwand is in the final year of his contract, and will be an unrestricted free agent at season’s end. It was clear that Nashville wasn’t going to offer him anything significant, so they cashed in their chips now.
Conclusion
Sure, losing Järnkrok stung a little, but the return is acceptable. Detroit grabs a proven NHL player, a Detroit area native, who can help the team win right now. This acquisition was especially important, and likely predicated by the announcement that Pavel Datsyuk would be shut down for the next three weeks (knee), and Helm dealing with the dreaded ‘concussion like symptoms’.
What do you say?
Will Legwand help the Wings make a 23rd consecutive playoff appearance?
Was Jarnkrok too steep of a price to pay?
Share your thoughts!
Note: This article has been revised to retract erroneous information. A previous version mentioned that David Legwand was a Selke award winner, when he actually only placed in the voting, but was never a finalist or winner. Thank you, Adam, for pointing this out! We always strive to be 100% factual, but we are human.
