September 29, 2024

Five ex-Red Wings who could make an impact in Stanley Cup playoffs

Tyler Bertuzzi

The Detroit Red Wings are out of the playoffs for the eighth year in a row, but several players who wore the winged-wheel jersey will be competing for the Stanley Cup starting today.

Here are five former Red Wings who could have an impact, none of whom has won a Cup:

Tyler Bertuzzi, Toronto: He didn’t have as much of an impact as many expected after signing a one-year, $5.5 million contract, producing 21 goals and 22 assists in 80 games. Bertuzzi showed last year that he’s capable of elevating in the playoffs, when he tallied five goals and five assists for the Bruins in their seven-game first-round loss to Florida. It was his first postseason experience. Now, he will face the team he played with for only a couple of months after the trade deadline. He will be an unrestricted free agent again this summer. The Red Wings used the first-round pick they acquired from the Bruins for Bertuzzi in the trade that landed them Alex DeBrincat.

Filip Hronek, Vancouver: Being paired with Quinn Hughes, the potential Norris Trophy winner, proved quite profitable for Hronek, who produced a career-high 48 points and whose plus-33 rating was by far the best of his career. He is appearing in the playoffs for the first time in his six-year career. The surprising Canucks face Nashville in a series starting on Sunday. Hronek will be a restricted free agent in the offseason, poised for a sizeable bump from his $4.4 million salary. The Red Wings used the first-round pick they acquired from the Canucks to take skilled defenseman Axel Sandin-Pellikka 17th overall last year.

Anthony Mantha, Vegas: The big winger’s production dipped after Washington traded him to the defending Stanley Cup champions at the deadline. Mantha picked up only three goals and seven assists in 18 games with the Golden Knights, who are the eighth seed and open with Dallas on Sunday. Mantha missed the final two games with an undisclosed injury and is listed as day-to-day. His career regressed after the Red Wings traded him to Washington, where he collected only 44 goals and 48 assists in 174 games and was a healthy scratch multiple times. He has played only 11 career postseason games (no goals, six assists). He’s an unrestricted free agent but isn’t going to get the kind of deal he did with Detroit in 2020 (four years at $22.8 million). Jakub Vrana, the player Detroit received for Mantha, was a bust, but the Red Wings used the first-round pick (after trading up) to draft Sebastian Cossa, their goaltender of the future.

Vladislav Namestnikov, Winnipeg: The versatile bottom-six forward has played for seven teams in the past five years but seemed to find his niche in a fourth-line role with the Jets. He tallied 37 points, including 11 goals, in his most productive season since 2017-18. Winnipeg opens with Colorado on Sunday.

Gustav Nyquist, Nashville: This skilled winger has been around a while, making his NHL debut with the Red Wings in 2011. In his 13th season and at age 34, he produced a career-high 75 points, including 23 goals with the Predators. His previous career-high in points was 60 in 2018-19. He is playing on the top line with Ryan O’Reilly and Filip Forsberg. He has only five goals and 21 assists in 71 career playoff games with Detroit, San Jose, Columbus and Minnesota.

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