The Red Wings have help on the way, including a familiar face.
Detroit has acquired goaltender Petr Mrazek and veteran forward Craig Smith from the Blackhawks in exchange for Joe Veleno. The Red Wings announced the deal Friday afternoon, 45 minutes before the trade deadline.
Mrazek, 33, could improve Detroit's play between the pipes, where Alex Lyon and Cam Talbot have struggled of late. He has a save percentage of .890 and a goals against average of 3.46 this season playing behind one of the worst teams in the NHL.
Mrazek spent the first six years of his career with the Red Wings before being traded to the Flyers at the 2018 deadline. He has a .902 save percentage and a 3.00 goals against average since the 2018-19 season. He's signed through next season with a $4.25 million cap hit.
Smith has nine goals and 16 points in 40 games this season in a fourth-line role for Chicago. He'll provide depth for the Red Wings up front, where they took a hit Thursday when they lost Christian Fischer on waivers to the Blue Jackets and then lost call-up Carter Mazur to an injury two shifts into his NHL debut.
Smith has played on 11 playoff teams in his 14-year career, which should aid the Red Wings in their playoff push down the stretch. Detroit is one point behind Ottawa for the second wild card spot in the East entering play Friday night.
The 35-year-old Smith is a pending free agent making $1 million this season.
Veleno was a late first-round pick of the Red Wings in 2018 who never blossomed into more than a bottom-six forward in Detroit. He has five goals and 10 points in 56 games this season after re-upping last summer on a two-year, $4.55 million deal.
