The Detroit Red Wings announced that they’ve traded forward Joe Veleno to the Chicago Blackhawks for netminder Petr Mrázek and forward Craig Smith.
Thanks to his performance this season, Veleno became an interesting trade candidate from the Red Wings’ perspective. The former 30th overall pick of the 2018 NHL Draft recently achieved back-to-back 20-point campaigns in Detroit in a bottom-six role but hasn’t performed up to that standard this season. Veleno has registered five goals and 10 points for the Red Wings in 56 games, averaging 11:57 of ice time per game.
The native of Montreal, Quebec, hasn’t translated well to Todd McLellan’s system. In 26 games under the new head coach, Veleno has underperformed, scoring only one goal and accumulating four points, with a disappointing shooting percentage of 4.3%. Even as his physicality has increased in the last several years, Veleno hasn’t added much value in a bottom-six role for Detroit.
Still, he’ll have plenty of runway to produce with Chicago. He’s signed to a reasonable $2.275MM salary through next season and could make for a decent change-of-scenery candidate with the Blackhawks. As a natural center, Veleno allows Chicago to move Lukas Reichel or Nick Foligno to the wing in the team’s bottom six.
Veleno’s inclusion in the deal is the only non-puzzling portion for the Red Wings. Mrázek is signed to a relatively expensive $4.25MM contract through next season and becomes the third NHL-caliber goalie on Detroit’s roster. Additionally, since July 1st last summer, Mrázek has become the fourth goalie brought in by general manager Steve Yzerman in the past eight months.
Although the Red Wings’ tandem of Cam Talbot and Alex Lyon have disappointed recently, Mrázek won’t be much of an improvement should he maintain his production from the Blackhawks. Without factoring in his W/L record, Mrázek has a .890 SV% and 3.46 GAA in 33 starts this year with a 93rd-ranked goals saved above expected, according to MoneyPuck.
Meanwhile, Smith probably wouldn’t have been on Detroit’s radar if rookie Carter Mazur wasn’t injured in last night’s contest. Mazur was expected to fill the void of Christian Fischer in the team’s bottom-six after they lost him on waivers to the Columbus Blue Jackets. The veteran winger has recorded nine goals and 16 points in 40 games for Chicago this season, losing a handful of games to a nagging back injury.
Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli was the first to report on the deal.
Eww
Blackhawks W Craig Smith will be a solid bottom 6 piece in Detroit, Speedy and a quick shot
He is old.
Eww
YZERPLAN BABY!
Woof!
Why would Detroit do this? Smith is elderly and a UFA, Mrazek is aging, expensive, and hasn’t been good since Carolina.
I’d prefer Yzerman wait to celebrate happy hour until after the trade deadline.
Yzerman getting ready to make another trade? Or he is good with having 10 goalies?
My thought too.
Probably needs 10 goalies to stand in front of the goal. The goalies in detroit have been sieves. Probably send one down. Mrazek is actually better than the 2 they are using right meow. Mrazek isn’t a bad goalie at all, the hawks just have a terrible team in front of him. The fact that he isn’t in the 4GAA or a 85% save percentage based on how bad the hawks are is amazing in and of itself. Mrazek will do well in detroit again.
Mrazek is good. They will probably send one of the other terrible goaltenders down to the AHL or send Talbot packing. Who knows. Yzerman is definitely not a good gm. This was Davidson getting another one over these gms. I think davidson is on the right path, just its a slow and steady pace and many fans aren’t patient. The original teams are supposed to be winners, and the hawks and redwings have been anything but winners. But atleast davidson has buyin from the owners. I remember reading that several gms were appalled at what Davidson is able to do because most gms would be fired for ripping everything down to the studs. Davidsons whole ordeal has been to build within, and he is doing just that with a few veterans to help the kids grow along. He has only signed several of these vets to like 3 or 4 year deals to not hamstring us like bowman did. I like what the hawks are doing, but hate the losing, but understand it.
Wow, Veleno’s stock has dropped big time. Thought he was one of their building blocks, but I guess he never panned out. This is prob Stevie Y’s big move today.
He was a key piece in 2021.
With Yzerman’s recent deadline history, I figured management wouldn’t let him near a phone all week.
Could be the rangers with that idiot. They have a moral problem due to the gm being a total summers eve gm.
Amazing that Davidson was able to get rid of Mrazek and Jones by the deadline. Well played Sir!
What a stinker of a deal!
I’ll never be able to switch teams, but if we miss the playoffs again I might seriously tune out from the NHL for a bit. This is a franchise that should always be trying to win, should have been frustrated at missing the playoffs so closely last season, and should have boned up and made this team better. Now that they are on a 4 game skid (which BTW, parallels a 7 game skid same time last season that knocked us out of the playoffs), Yzerman should have said enough is enough and showed the fan base that if we missed again this year it won’t be because of the front office. But here we are–in need of a second line center and acquiring another goaltender and a fourth liner for a 25 year old center. Something has to change.
“We” lol
Yzerman is showing he is probably not the right guy in the front office to be honest. He was basically gifted everything with the Lightning. Any of us could have been the GM in TB and done well.
LOL oh yea totally dude…any Joe Schmoe could’ve ran the Lightning. I don’t think you understand how asinine that sounds. He set the foundation for the Lightning, that’s inarguable.
Hawks really only have 3 bad salaries on the books for next year now Murphy-5 mil, Broissoit- 3 mil and Brodie -3 mil ( I think) . With the Cap going up and maybe a healthy Broissoit can be moved, Buy out Murphy and we’re stuck with Brodie, He’s horrible. That was a dumb deal but not crippling at least. Keep the faith Connor we have the Cap room, Draft picks and young players to get you a guy. Maybe even 2.
Probably a good deal for the Hawks…..maybe.
Mrazek hasn’t been nearly as bad as the numbers indicate.
The Hawks defense is loaded with “puck watchers.” I’ve watched almost every game, and I spend the entire game yelling at the TV……”HIT SOMEBODY!” Mrazek is hung out to dry every night.
There’s a reason they are outshot every night.
The hawks blueline is stuffed with young kids that are learning on the fly from Murphy and the other bonehead. Defensemen take a while to develop. It starts with Goalie taking the longest, Defense next and forwards last. Goalies take sometimes 5 years or so. Look at crawford, or even Anderson. They both took forever to develop. Most goalies taken in the first round don’t turn out to be more than trade fodder. Some D come to the nhl immediately but very few. Forwards are usually the ones that can jump from draft to the NHL. The hawks in my opinion have an absolute stud base of defensemen. And many of them could turn out to be the next keith, seabrook, Hjalmson, and so forth. Korchinski is a project as he is still struggling with his defense. But you got the kid drafted last year, Rinzel, EDM, Nolan, Levshunov, Vlasic, and Korchinski if he figures out the defense side of things.
I’ve finally come too a realization none of my Detroit teams will ever win a Championship while I’m alive and it’s sad because I’m only 48. I do feel blessed I got to experience the Pistons and Redwings hey days though.Those teams were special.
Red Wings, Pistons, and Tigers have already won championships in your lifetime.
Makes no sense. Team is done