Ah, the trade deadline. The most exciting day in the entire 82-game NHL season. Everybody wins that day. Teams that are selling make a killing and teams in the hunt get even better. The Detroit Red Wings are practically famous for always “making the big deal” on this day. Chris Chelios, Mathieu Schneider, and even Robert Lang are just some of the big names that made their arrival on that day over the years. However, with the newly introduced salary cap and league-wide competitive balance, the cost to add a game-breaking player is becoming too steep, even for Detroit.

I read message boards and newspapers about players Detroit should acquire, but I can’t help but think of the disappointment that will occur on February 26th. Look at last year. The big names went elsewhere and the Wings rolled the dice on a couple of has-beens for nothing. No, the Cup didn’t come back to Hockeytown, but when you consider how far the other teams went that paid the price, then the deals seemed like a success.

I’m here to warn you, though. Expect the same type of deal(s) again this year. Mats Sundin, Marian Hossa, and Rob Blake will be going elsewhere. Would they love to add any one of those players? Certainly, but Detroit simply doesn’t have the assets to make those types of deals. They have good prospects but not great ones, and their most tradable players are their best players.

Rather than talk about the players the Wings should trade for, I’m going to talk about some players the Wings will be looking to trade for.

1. Bobby Holik (C) — Before you consider laughing, let me at least state my case. Here we have a player who has won two Stanley Cups, has been relatively healthy over the years, and has ridiculous size and strength. He’s old and not the defensive machine he used to be, but he’ll cost at least half a much and could fit nicely on the second line. Besides a wealth of playoff experience, he’ll be a free agent after this season.

2. Jassen Cullimore (D) — Considering how depleted and one-dimensional the Wings’ blue line is, any addition would be a welcome at this point. Besides his Stanley Cup ring, Cullimore is gigantic (6’5) and can win the physical battles down low. You always want depth at the deadline anyway, so why not add some size?

3.Martin Lapointe (RW) — Look, I’m not thrilled with the idea either, but he’s the classic example of buy low, sell high player that could score some big goals when it matters. He wouldn’t cost a lot and has been in big game situations in the past. Against tough teams, I’d rather have him on the ice instead of Samuelsson (sorry, Sammy!).

4. Niclas Havelid (D) — Not the most physical player out there, but plays a smart game. Oh, he’s also Swedish. I mean, why the hell not, right? He’s signed for next season for a reasonable $2.7 million. They’ll need someone to replace Chelios next season, and the going rate for a top-4 defenseman on the open market is getting pretty expensive. I think he could be an overlooked gem. Oh, he also played under Babcock in Anaheim.

5. Hal Gill (D) — I didn’t want to type this, but there aren’t a lot of cheaper options out there. We know about Gill’s size and strength, but his skating his horrible. I think with reduced minutes and a more refined role, Gill could be useful against big teams. Like Havelid, he’s cheap. $2 million to be exact, and is also signed for one more season.

So there you have it. None of those players look like sexy deals on paper, but you have to think long-term under the salary cap. I would be willing to part with Hudler and some draft picks and/or mid-level prospects, but that’s really it. Brendan Smith is going to be an awesome player and I have some strange love affair with Johan Ryno. Howard would be attractable to other teams, but the Wings have put too much time into developing him already.

I say, sit back on the 26th and enjoy the show. There will surely be overpayments, and the Wings won’t be part of them.