Steve Yzerman and Todd McLellan talk daily during the season. With the trade deadline looming Friday, the conversations between the Red Wings GM and head coach "might be a little bit different" this week, McLellan said.
"There might be more questions this week about a player on another team, or our group, our chemistry as a team right now. Those are all important variables that have to be considered at this time of the year," McLellan said Monday.
The Red Wings have the cap space and the motivation as a team trying to snap an eight-year playoff drought to upgrade their roster at the deadline. The question is whether Yzerman has the interest in paying the price for what the Wings might desire as he keeps at least one eye on the future in Detroit.
If they're after a two-way center to help replace Andrew Copp, Yanni Gourde of the Kraken (a player Yzerman knows well from their time with the Lightning) makes some sense. If they're eyeing a proven defenseman to stabilize the blue line, Jamie Oleksiak of the Kraken, Brian Dumoulin of the Ducks and Matt Grzelcyk of the Penguins could be fits.
All of them are rentals aside from Oleksiak, who's signed through next season. And all of them would likely cost the type of capital -- mid- to early-round draft picks -- that Yzerman has been loathe to relinquish for temporary fixes during his tenure in Detroit. The long view remains the priority for the Red Wings.
That's why they've also been connected to younger players like center Dylan Cozens and defenseman Bowen Byram of the perpetually-rebuilding Sabres, who would cost more but ideally bolster the team for years to come. Yzerman parted with a first-round pick two years ago to acquire Alex DeBrincat, a core piece of Detroit's roster and its leading goal scorer this season.
Yzerman was quiet at the deadline last year, with the Red Wings in a similar spot. They had a two-point lead on a playoff spot and stood pat other than to ship out under-utilized forward Klim Kostin, then jolted the roster from within by calling up defenseman Simon Edvinsson. The Wings have a two-point lead on a playoff spot entering play Tuesday night. What they don't have is a player of Edvinsson's ilk in Grand Rapids who could both fill a need and provide a boost in Detroit.
Asked Tuesday about his conversations with Yzerman regarding the deadline, McLellan said, "I know that he believes in this group and that he wants to do whatever he can to help this group."
"But the players that put the jerseys on tonight have to get the job done," he said. "We aren’t sitting in the coaches room, the players shouldn’t be sitting in the locker room thinking that the cavalry is coming. They’ve clearly shown to each other that they have the ability to win some games and string things out. A lot of things have to go right, they have to play well. But we have a lot of tools in that locker room right now."
The Wings sputtered after last season's deadline, and their playoff push fell one point short. It was a gut punch for a green group of players, especially captain Dylan Larkin. Yzerman would surely like to improve their chances of making it this season, or at least mitigate those of another collapse. Detroit's playoff odds today range from about 20 percent to 30 percent, depending where you look. (Of note: the Wings are the only current playoff team in the East with a negative goal differential.)
The Red Wings went 15-5-2 in January and February. They've been one of the best teams in the NHL since McLellan took over for Derek Lalonde. Of course, they went 16-5-2 in January and February last season under Lalonde, only to fall apart in March. That could be the cautionary tale that motivates Yzerman to make a move, especially with the Red Wings facing a daunting schedule down the stretch.
Yzerman's only realistic options are to idle or to add. The Wings don't have assets worth selling, though they could certainly look to unload Vladimir Tarasenko and his $4.75 million cap hit through next season. The chatter is irrelevant to McLellan, who declines to address any of the outside noise -- whatever might be out there -- with his players.
"They're big boys, they've been involved in the game for a long time. We have other things to focus on," McLellan said. "We have a big week ahead of us, we're coming of a weekend where we didn't get any points. If there is a really unique situation, something that is affecting an individual greatly, putting their family in a real awkward position, me or somebody from the organization would likely talk to that player.
"But not on everyday rumors, because that's exactly what they are."
The Red Wings are an everyday team, no better or no worse than most of the league. They aren't a piece or two away at the deadline from catapulting into Cup contention. But making the playoffs matters to a locker room that still feels the pain of last year's miss, and to a young roster that would benefit from the exposure to win-or-go-home hockey.
Yzerman does have incentive to make a move. The Red Wings do have clear holes, and the flexibility to fill them. And ownership might be getting restless, even with a franchise icon calling the shots. This isn't about going all-in, but simply getting in. The Wings have never gone this long without making the playoffs.
By Friday, Yzerman might decide that it's time to sacrifice a sliver of tomorrow for a better shot today.