Red Wings Trade Rumors: Leddy Sitting in Vancouver Tonight

Citing “asset protection” from Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli, Detroit Red Wings defenseman Nick Leddy will not be playing in tonight’s game against Vancouver:

Sounds like #RedWings plan to sit D Nick Leddy tonight in VAN against #Canucks for asset protection ahead of likely trade. Likely same vs. #SeaKraken on Sat if not moved by then. #LGRW

— Frank Seravalli (@frank_seravalli) March 17, 2022

Leddy Would Provide Value For a Contending Team

In spite of not having his best season in Detroit, Leddy could be moved to the right team and certainly help with a playoff push. The initial plan was for Leddy to be on a pairing with Moritz Seider. But he was moved as a result of Seider spending more time with Danny DeKeyser on his left side. Now, it appears he’ll be moved sooner rather than later.

So with his numbers certainly not being as strong as Detroit or he expected upon his acquisition, who might be interested?

Who Might be Interested in Nick Leddy?

A few teams come to mind. DHN’s Kevin Allen laid out a slew of teams looking for a left-handed defenseman, which include Boston, New York (Rangers), Nashville, St. Louis, and even the Calgary Flames.

Allen also has him ranked as his sixth best defenseman available.

Where it gets tricky, Allen points out, is the price. Leddy is in the final year of a $5.5M cap hit, which Detroit can absorb 50% of. However, it’s still a gaudy $2.75M.

There is a way to offset that hit.

Yzerman creatively sent David Savard to Tampa Bay last season by taking his contract at 50% off from Columbus. He then flipped him to Tampa at 50% of the new price.

This would involve another team and at about $1.25M more as Savard’s cap hit was $4.25M before all of the financial maneuvering. Regardless, it’s one creative way to get a deal done and squeeze beneath the cap.

Leddy can absolutely be a dependable player for a contender. A Stanley Cup winner with a long playoff resume can do wonders for a locker room.

If Yzerman does pull a deal off, it will fulfill what many thought upon his acquisition: helping the organization until the deadline before being sent elsewhere.