Red Wings send Vladislav Namestnikov to Dallas Stars

The Detroit Red Wings helped an old friend Monday by moving versatile forward Vladislav Namestnikov to Dallas Stars Monday for a fourth-round draft pick.

Stars general manager Jim Nill was a long-time member of Detroit’s management team before he went to Dallas. He and Detroit general manager Steve Yzerman played together on the Red Wings in the late 1980s.

“Vlady was here the better part of two seasons and I thought really played well for us,” Yzerman said. “We enjoyed having him. He’s a good guy.”

The Stars are fighting for a playoff spot in the Western Conference. Namestnikov gives them more depth up front. One of Namestnikov’s strengths is an ability play in a variety of roles. This season Namestnikov has played on both checking lines and scoring lines.

Vladislav Namestnikov is on the final year of a 2 x $2M contract.

He is a pending UFA who has 25 points in 60 games played this season.https://t.co/cvM8SDCOcF

— CapFriendly (@CapFriendly) March 21, 2022

Recently, he has played on Detroit’s No. 1 line with Dylan Larkin and Lucas Raymond. He skates well, is mindful of his defensive responsibilities and is tougher than some opponents realize. He has scored 13 goals this season, but none in his past 12 games.

Namestnikov, 29, is making $2 million and become an unrestricted free agent this summer. The Red Wings are retaining half of his salary. The Red Wings appreciate his array of talent, and could be be interested in bringing him back.

The Stars rank 19th in team scoring (2.89 goals). Only five players have more goals than Namestnikov this season. He could find himself on a scoring line.  The former Tampa Bay Lightning first round pick has scored as many as 20 goals in a season in his career.