The Detroit Red Wings made their first move at this year’s trade deadline — but it wasn’t for much.
The team announced Friday evening that defenseman Patrik Nemeth had been traded to the Colorado Avalanche for a fourth-round pick in 2022.
Nemeth was in his second season with the Wings, and with the team headed for a fifth straight playoff absence, general manager Steve Yzerman’s edict is to unload pending unrestricted free agents for draft picks.
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Nemeth, 29, has two goals and six assists in 39 games. Yzerman added Nemeth to the organization in 2019, as a stop-gap measure to help the rebuild.
Yzerman’s task during his second trade deadline in charge of the Wings is to add draft picks to the rebuild. That directive took a hit when it emerged Friday that Bobby Ryan won’t be able to play again this season because of an upper-body injury. Other pending UFAs that Yzerman may flip for picks include goaltender Jonathan Bernier, forwards Luke Glendening, Darren Helm and Sam Gagner, and defensemen Marc Staal and Jon Merrill.
The deadline is 3 p.m. Monday.
Contact Helene St. James at hstjames@freepress.com. Follow her on Twitter @helenestjames. Read more on the Detroit Red Wings and sign up for our Red Wings newsletter. Her book, The Big 50: The Detroit Red Wings is available from Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Triumph Books. Personalized copies available via her e-mail.