The Daily: East Playoff Race Got Tougher for Red Wings; Panthers Bold

The Ottawa Senators landed Dylan Cozens, a player the Red Wings were interested in, plus intriguing Fabian Zetterlund. The Florida Panthers brought in Seth Jones and Brad Marchand.  The Toronto Maple Leafs improved their defense with the acquisition of Brandon Carlo and added respected third-line center Scott Laughton. The Tampa Bay Lightning added Yanni Gourde and Oliver Bjorkstrand. They clearly believe they can make another run.

USA TODAY’s For the Win writer Mary Clarke called the Atlantic Division heavyweights one of the Winners of NHL Trade Deadline.

The New Jersey Devils (Brian Dumoulin) and New York Rangers (Carson Soucy) made modest gains, adding defensive depth. The Red Wings were also in that category (adding Petr Mrazek and Craig Smith) on a day they hoped to do more.

Detroit fans also hoped the Red Wings would do more. The social media sites had a healthy share of fans that were disappointed, although some believed the Red Wings aren’t yet strong enough to give up first-round picks or quality prospects.

Steve Yzerman only made a minor move at the NHL Trade Deadline. Don't expect a "big splash" until the Red Wings are a Cup contender.

"To get guys that are making a difference, it's first round, plus, plus. Right or wrong, I'm not doing that," he said. pic.twitter.com/tXKVQnGiQr

— Brad Galli (@BradGalli) March 7, 2025

The bottom line for the Red Wings: The acquisition cost was deemed too high for deals that didn’t  guarantee success.

“It’s going to be like an incredibly exciting playoff run where we’re looking at it. I think it’s going to be an exciting battle and hoping that we can remain in it for those wild card spots, too,” Detroit GM Steve Yzerman said. ” So it’s going to, the NHL is having a great year and a lot of excitement in these moves here, particularly in the East, are going to make it very interesting. ”

Red Wings In Case You Missed It

Red Wings prospect goalie receives league honors and it’s not Sebastian Cossa or Trey Augustine.

Detroit’s losing streak reaches five games. Fatigue seemed to play a role in loss to Washington.

Dependable Craig Smith could improve Detroit’s scoring depth.

Petr Mrazek’s arrival means the Red Wings will have a three-goalie rotation.

Red Wings Extra

It’s difficult to know whether it’s Detroit’s defensive sloppiness or its offensive inefficiency that is causing them to nosedive out of the playoff contention.  Over the past 10 games, the Red Wings have given up four or more goals eight times. They have given up 4.1 goals per game in that span. During their current five-game losing streak, they have scored two or fewer goals four times. They are averaging 2.0 goals per game during this slump. Trade acquistions Petr Mrazek and Craig Smith will practice with the team for the first time Sunday. Detroit’s next game is Monday in Ottawa (7 p.m., FanDuel Sports Network)

Hockey Now Network

Chicago: GM Kyle Davidson’s deals may have sent himself up for a big summer. Chicago Blackhawks. 

Florida: George Richards believes the Panthers were big winners at the NHL trade deadline. It’s hard to argue against that assertion. Florida Panthers. 

New Jersey: The injury-hampered Devils failed on trade deadline day: “We came in second.”

Philadelphia: GM Daniel Briere was able to secure a first-round pick for third-line center Scott Laughton. Philadelphia Flyers.

Pittsburgh: GM Kyle Dubas said the Penguins’ revamp is now ready to enter the next phase.  Pittsburgh Penguins.

San Jose: Should San Jose fans trust GM Mike Grier? Sheng Peng writes that the Fabian Zetterlund trade will test that. San Jose Sharks.