To say that this season has not gone well for Red Wings defenseman Trevor Daley would be an understatement. He has missed considerable time with multiple injuries and when he has been in the lineup, he hasn’t been the productive player he has been in the past. However, as a veteran with a pair of Stanley Cup rings under his belt, there could be a team or two interested in his services. He is certainly hoping so as NBC Sports’ Pierre McGuire reported in an appearance on TSN 1200 (audio link) that Daley has spoken to Detroit GM Steve Yzerman about his willingness to be dealt by next month’s trade deadline.
The 36-year-old has played in just 26 games this season, recording only four assists along with a -16 plus/minus rating. He’s also averaging just 16:11 per night of ice time, more than four minutes per game below his career average and his lowest ATOI since his rookie season back in 2003-04. However, he’s still a decent skater and teams are typically looking for veteran defensive depth at this time of year so they may be willing to overlook the struggles if the asking price is low enough.
One possible challenge here will be his contract. Daley, a pending unrestricted free agent, carries a $3.167MM cap hit. Detroit would almost certainly have to pay down the maximum 50% of that to facilitate a deal; they’ve yet to use any of their three retention slots this season. But even at a price tag of a pro-rated $1.583MM, that might be too high for some cap-strapped teams. It’s worth noting that Daley has a 15-team no-trade clause but given his desire to be moved, it’s unlikely that it will come into play.
Daley is one of four pending unrestricted free agents that Detroit has on their back end, joining Mike Green, Jonathan Ericsson, and Alex Biega. None are likely to be part of their future plans so it’s quite possible that their defense corps will look a lot different than it does now when the deadline comes and goes on February 24th.
I’m sure Wings fans are hoping you’re traded as well.
We are
If the Wings aren’t expecting much in return and are willing to eat half the cap hit, he could be a decent depth add on a contending team.
Daley was, quite literally, on his last legs in 2017 with the Pens. Was always surprised he got that kind of contract from Detroit.
I hope he rebounds and proves me wrong. He was a big part of 16 and 17.
Could be a depth piece for the Pens
No way. His salary isn’t worth it. Neither is his level of play.
It’s kind of like when they traded for Streit at the deadline. He ended up being 8th man but better to have a vet than a rookie if DET eats some salary
Another of Holland’s screwups
It’s why Holland is in Edmonton now all those screw up kept playing all those like Eriksson, Daley, and Kronwall when they were late in years of experience and barely could stay on ice with all the injuries ,
Kromwall played well up to his retirement, though he did have injuries. All the Vets have let the team down this year. None of them are going to be worth squat come trade deadline. For sure a disappointment for the GM.