Trade Reaction: Wings Get A Right Hander in Zidlicky

Mike Babcock finally got his right handed defenseman. With time ticking down in today trade deadline, Holland made the move to shore up the blue line and add some more experience. While Zidlicky, like Cole, is not a top tier player the Wings got him at a reasonable price and he could end up being an excellent addition.

What We Got:

Marek Zidlicky

Zidlicky is a 38-year-old right shot defenseman who will be a free agent at the end of this season. In 63 games for the Devils he has 4 goals and 19 assists. A good puck mover who has a hard shot from the point he should be a great help on the 2^nd Power Play unit. At even strength he has a very good Corsi relative of 2.6 and his usage-adjusted numbers from ownthepuck.com suggest he still has the makings of a top 4 player despite his age. He has been mostly sheltered by the Devils this season, playing minutes somewhere between the Wings' 2nd and 3rd pair.

What We Gave Up:

A conditional 3^rd round pick.

If the Wings make it to the Eastern Conference Finals the deal becomes a 3^rd and a 5^th round pick, while if the Wings make it to the final the deal becomes a 2^nd rounder alone. While the next two drafts are very deep, this is a pretty low cost for a player who could be a big help in solidifying the back end for Detroit.

Verdict:

The true value of this deal is completely dependent on the Red Wings’ lineup going forward. With Quincey out, I expect Zidlicky to replace Kindl on the 2^nd unit with DeKeyser, allowing Smith and Marchenko to remain on the 3^rd pair and giving Babcock two right handed defenseman. However with Quincey due to return soon, there is a logjam of players competing for ice-time. Today the deal look very good, the team got a righty who can move the puck and help out on the power play. A great move by Ken Holland to acquire another asset, now its up to Babcock to take full advantage.