Report: Forget Nyquist and Howard, Red Wings shopping another pending UFA at trade deadline

Detroit Red Wings general manager Ken Holland is expected to be a busy man ahead of the NHL’s February 25th trade deadline. The struggling Red Wings are once again in the basement of the NHL’s standings and it’s expected that Holland will seek to recoup assets for pending free agents like goaltender Jimmy Howard and forward Gustav Nyquist. 

In fact, according to a report from Ansar Khan, Holland is seeking a first round pick in exchange for either Howard or Nyquist… a steep asking price, to be sure.

Another quality player expected to be in play is unheralded defensemen Nick Jensen. In his latest 31 Thoughts column for Sportsnet, NHL insider Elliotte Friedman reports that the Red Wings are set to make a decision on whether or not they will retain Jensen or trade him off to the highest bidder.

Check it out:

Another rental who doesn’t get much attention, but has quietly played pretty well: Detroit’s Nick Jensen. On a team that doesn’t have great possession numbers, his are pretty good. The Red Wings will need to make a decision on him over the next few weeks.

The 28 year old blue liner has two goals and 11 points in 17 games with the Red Wings this season and has been a versatile player for head coach Jeff Blashill. Jensen is set to hit the market as an unrestricted free agent this offseason and will be looking for a sizeable raise from his $812,500 annual salary.

Teams expected to be looking for a some help on the blue line at this year’s deadline include the Pittsburgh Penguins, Toronto Maple Leafs, Edmonton Oilers and Montreal Canadiens.