NHL Trade Update: Red Wings Send Back Nemeth To Colorado For Draft Pick

The Detroit Red Wings have tweaked things a bit, sending veteran Patrik Nemeth to the Colorado Avalanche in exchange for a fourth-round pick in the 2022 NHL Entry Draft. The move is seen as part of Steve Yzerman’s plans to take in more picks. Further, it also gives players such as Dennis Cholowski and Gustav Lindstrom a chance to earn a spot on the team.

Announced via their official Twitter page, this means that the Swedish national will return to the same team he played for before his time with the Red Wings. Additionally, Detroit will retain 50% of Nemeth’s contract.

Cholowski may finally get his chance since the Red Wings needed to trade someone to open up a roster spot. This will give the 23-year-old player the opportunity to finally show his true worth, something that Detroit envisioned when they took him in back in 2016.

However, that may still depend on what managers Ken Holland and Yzerman decide. Lindstrom still looms as the plausible choice to fill up the spot since he is seen as more efficient on defense. Cholowski has been good offensively, but questions are raised on how he can generate offense when he is on the ice.

But all eyes are on the pick that Detroit now holds. They have three in a total spot of nine for the 2022 NHL Entry Draft, which will be loaded. The exit of Nemeth may also be only one of several moves that the Red Wings will be executing.

Also on the radar is Marc Staal, someone who has been frequently mentioned in NHL trade rumors. Hence, the Nemeth deal may not be the last, a reason why pundits may want to keep track of other potential trades that Detroit may pull off soon.

Nemeth was in his second season with the Red Wings before being sent back to the Avalanche. Acquired in the summer of 2019, the Swede was taken in to provide stability for Detroit. He had nine points in his first season and eight this year. The veteran left was third in Wings defenseman in ATOI at 18:24.

The deal comes right in the nick of time, with Detroit trying to unload some of its pending unrestricted free agents. The 2021 NHL trade deadline is Monday at 3 p.m. EDT.