NHL Rumors: Detroit Red Wings and St. Louis Blues
Detroit Red Wings GM Steve Yzerman
Yzerman wants to turn assets into picks but can he?
Detroit Red Wings’ options slim as trade deadline approaches

Ted Kulfan of The Detroit News:  Despite a lot of cap space and available players, the Detroit Red Wings may not make a lot of trades. Why? Sometimes a team can be so bad that their players are not worth enough. Injuries and inconsistency describe the Detroit Red Wings perfectly.

Steve Yzerman wants to be active but can he?

Andreas Athanasiou suffers from injuries and inconsistency as much as anyone. The speedy winger expects to return soon but has not produced like the previous season.

Much the same can be said about Trevor Daley and Robby FabbriMike Green, Jimmy Howard, and Darren Helm are among those who won’t get the value they might have last season. Even Luke Glendening is a player who has done well but Detroit does not want to trade him. That is how bad Detroit’s season has gone.

Can the Detroit Red Wings turn space into assets? 

Max Bultman of The Athletic:  Again, can the Detroit Red Wings’ Steve Yzerman turn their players into tradeable assets? There is cap space that comes in at around $13 million. Detroit taking on bad contracts would not be a surprise.

Some of those players include David Backes, Sven Baertschi, and Loui Eriksson who have been buried at one time or another. Eriksson waiving his no-trade clause comes in at a long-shot. Kyle Turris comes across as another candidate. His $6 million AAV and term would require a significant sweetener.

What will St. Louis do?

Tom Timmermann of St. Louis Today (mailbag):  Some of the big questions involved players like Zach Sanford and even Jordan Kyrou. It is easier to trade players who fill needs consistently. A big question will be Vladimir Tarasenko. If Tarasenko gets back to full health then lookout. If not, St. Louis will be challenged.

Right now, the Blues are fatigued and that was going to happen. That means the Blues and Doug Armstrong should not panic. For now, St. Louis waits.