Red Wings Rumors: Buzz on Andreas Athanasiou, Gustav Nyquist Trade and More

The Detroit Red Wings had themselves an outstanding 2018 NHL draft. Landing Filip Zadina still has fans of the Original Six squad riding high, and excitement surrounding the sixth-overall pick is already at a boiling point. 

To be fair, though, it's not difficult to see why.

The hope is that Zadina—along with Joe Veleno and second-round picks Jonatan Berggren and Jared McIsaac—can kick Detroit's rebuild into overdrive. A rebuild is still a painful process, however, and this promising group of teenagers isn't going to change that overnight.

While Zadina could make the opening night roster, Veleno is still at least another two or three years out, while figuring out when McIsaac could hit the NHL less than a week after he was selected would be a fool's errand.

The 2018-19 season doesn't figure to be much better than last year, and general manager Ken Holland still has a lot on his plate as he tries to push the Winged Wheel back towards relevancy. He's not in on signing John Tavares or trading for Erik Karlsson, but he still has his hands full with numerous developing situations in Detroit.

Andreas Athanasiou Still an Intriguing Trade Piece for Red Wings

Entering the draft, Andreas Athanasiou was a player that some believed Holland would part with in exchange for draft picks or moving up the board.

As Ted Kulfan of The Detroit News wrote ahead of the draft: "Athanasiou and the Wings' organization have never really seemed to hit it off. Certainly Athanasiou's inconsistency doesn't help his case, but there are teams certainly believing they could unlock his potential."

Speed is the name of the game in today's NHL, and that is what "AA" brings to the table in spades. If Holland decided to part ways with the wing, there would be plenty of interest from around the league.

The Red Wings suddenly have a logjam of young forwards in the system, and with Zadina and Veleno added to the mix, top-six spots are going to be tough to come by. We'll know more about whether Detroit sees Athanasiou as part of the core or as trade bait based on how Holland handles the restricted free agent in the coming weeks.

Will the Red Wings Look to Trade Gustav Nyquist This Season?

There was a time when Gustav Nyquist seemed destined to form the Euro Twins 2.0 alongside Tomas Tatar. That was a half-decade ago, though, and the gap between Pavel Datsyuk/Henrik Zetterberg and Tatar/Nyquist is roughly the size of the Hall of Fame.

Tatar was traded to the Vegas Golden Knights for a package of draft picks at the most recent trade deadline, and it might not be too long until Nyquist is shown the door as well.

The same logjam that could push Athanasiou out of Detroit will also impact Nyquist, who is slated to become a free agent next summer. Ansar Khan of MLive.com recently fielded questions from fans, one of whom asked about what kind of return the Red Wings could receive for "Goose."

The longtime Red Wings beat reporter gave some interesting insight:

"Nyquist is an unrestricted free agent next summer, so he wouldn't get nearly the same return as a rental. The Red Wings have let Nyquist know they're going to use the first half of the season to determine whether they will offer him an extension. With so many young forwards either on the roster or in their system, I don't think they will re-sign him (it would likely cost more than $5 million per season).

"He has a no-trade clause, but I believe he'd waive it at the deadline to join a Stanley Cup contender or a playoff team, knowing he doesn't figure in the Red Wings' future plans, if that turns out to be the case."

There's a lot to unpack there.

Based on Khan's response, it sounds like Detroit has already communicated to Nyquist that they may not be interested in extending him, depending on how he plays through the first half of 2018-19. That Khan doesn't think the team will re-sign him regardless is interesting as well.

This all seems to be more writing on the wall than a trial period, so perhaps we see a Nyquist trade during the opening stage of the campaign, as the Red Wings dial in their roster and try to get younger.

Carter Hutton is Detroit's Top Free Agent Target

While Holland might not be in California trying to convince Tavares to don red and white, that doesn't mean he doesn't have a few targets he'll push for during free agency.

Carter Hutton isn't the sexiest name available, but the 32-year-old goalie is reportedly Detroit's top priority once July 1 hits.

The cost of signing someone like Paul Stastny or James van Riemsdyk would be astronomical. So perhaps it's a good sign that Holland is shying away from those big-ticket names, instead electing to chase after a veteran goaltender who could steal starts away from an aging Jimmy Howard.

When Petr Mrazek was traded last season, it generated all kinds of questions about the future of Detroit's netminding. Howard has heroically battled to keep the Red Wings afloat, but at the age of 34, isn't likely to get better in the coming seasons.

Hutton is a bit older as well, but finding someone who can confidently spell Howard from time to time is pivotal for Holland. He pushed Jake Allen into a timeshare with the St. Louis Blues and went 17-7-3 with a .931 save percentage in all situations, so interest in his services will be high.

The Red Wings will be at least making their pitch, though, and focusing their energy on shorting up their crease this summer.