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Kronwall has approached Wings management ahead of the trade deadline.
Daniel Lea/CSM/Zuma

Kronwall has approached Wings management ahead of the trade deadline.

Kronwall makes his feelings known.

HockeyFeed

HockeyFeed

One of the longest tenured players in the entire National Hockey League has reportedly just put his foot down as far as the 2019 National Hockey League trade deadline is concerned.

It's no secret that by the looks of things right now the Detroit Red Wings are expected to be sellers at the trade deadline this season with their young core making large strides but the team still a ways away from being a serious contender. Many names have floated around in trade rumors as of late with perhaps the most notable being that of forward Gustav Nyquist as well as that of star goaltender Jimmy Howard. There is one other name however that has floated around in rumors surrounding the Red Wings and that is the name of veteran defenseman Niklas Kronwall.

Those rumors however may be unfounded as on Satureday Sportsnet's National Hockey League insider Nick Kypreos made comments that would indicate that Kronwall has not yet reached the end of the line as far as his time in Detroit is concerned. Kypreos touched on the fact that not only does general manager Ken Holland has little desire to trade him, but that Kronwall himself has gone to the team and has asked to not be traded this season.

"The feeling is now that Niklas Kronwall has let Detroit know that he has no interest in being traded," said Kypreos on Saturday. "He does not have a complete no move but the feeling is right now that Ken Holland will respect his wishes unless he gets an offer than he can't refuse."

Fans in Detroit have of course been very frustrated in recent years due to what some perceive as too much loyalty from Holland towards his aging players, and this may once again be a case of that. Not only does it sound like Holland is unlikely to move Kronwall before the deadline, but it also sounds like he may actually give the 38 year old blue liner a new deal altogether.

"I think with Nicklas Kronwall in Detroit we will start hearing more about a contract extension than anything else."

In spite of Kronwall being an extremely popular player, no doubt fans will be dreading another overly rich long term deal from Holland given to an aging player.