What do you think of a trade such as D Kyle Quincy, D Brian Lashoff, LW Rasmus Bodin, and a high draft pick to the Buffalo Sabres for RW Drew Stafford and G Matt Hackett?
The Sabres need quite a bit of help at the blue line. Quincy instantly becomes one of their top three defenders and Lashoff gets a change of scenery. Bodin gives them a really good wing prospect. Matt Hackett instantly becomes the Red Wings' best goaltending prospect and Stafford gets his change of scenery.
Vanek is also on a 1-year deal, with next year being the final of his large contract. He's obviously a rental at $7mil+, but it's something to consider. A Quincy/Smith-based trade could be the premise of something the Sabres would consider. They're in serious-rebuild mode. The Red Wings only have so much room for players moving up over the next 3-4 years.
Dats, Z, Nyquist, Tatar, Quincy, Andersson, Abdelkader, Kronwall, Kindl, Smith, Brunner, DeKeyser, Helm, Sproul, Jamkrok, Ouellett, Frk, Pulkkinen. Sheahan...
That's 12 forwards and 7 defensemen that, barring a player not living up to potential, sustaining a serious injury, or an unforeseen inability for the team to re-sign them, should be around for the next few years. Frk is the farthest off, he's still in his teens, but Z and Dats, the captains, are the only ones over 28!
Three years from now, here's how I view the roster based on the players currently under Detroit's control:
Zetterberg, Datsyuk, Tatar
Nyquist, Jarnkrok, Pulkkinen
Abdelkader, Helm, Andersson
Brunner, Sheahan, Frk
Kronwall, Quincy
Kindl, Smith
DeKeyser, Ouellett
Sproul
You've got two top lines with ridiculous scoring potential and a defensively-dominant third line. So what does this team really need next season? A dominant RW to play with Datsyuk and Zetterberg/Franzen/Abdelkader.
