from Helene St. James of the Detroit Free Press,
Detroit Red Wings general manager Steve Yzerman gets a top grade at the NHL trade deadline, unloading an underachiever and adding to the team’s short-term and longer-term gain without sacrificing flexibility.
He found a taker for Anthony Mantha, a superbly skilled but equally frustrating player, in the Washington Capitals, and banked a first-round pick and a former-first round pick in Jakub Vrana among the return.
“We’re trying to add draft picks or prospects to expedite the rebuild that we’re under,” Yzerman said. “This was an opportunity to acquire picks but still try to keep as competitive as possible.