NHL Trade Deadline: Detroit Red Wings

February 24 2011 Last updated at 04:00 PM ET

You never know what wily Red Wings general manager Ken Holland will do at the trading deadline.

But chances are he will keep a low profile. Detroit is a classic example of a team that builds from within, and Holland only has $570,000 to spend.

Since veteran goaltender Chris Osgood is insisting he will back from sports hernia and groin surgery before the playoffs, the Evgeni Nabokov waiver fiasco probably will not have much of an impact on the Wings' Stanley Cup hopes.

Although they lost Patrick Eaves to a lower-body injury this week, the injury-riddled Wings are starting to get some bodies back. So, Holland will likely be trading more for the future than the present. In other words, if he deals, he will obtain mostly draft choices.

NEEDS

It would still help if Detroit had some goaltending insurance, just in case Osgood's recovery does not go as well as expected, or he is slow to regain form. Also, starter Jimmy Howard is due to become an unrestricted free agent.

Howard is likely not going anywhere, because the Wings have until July 1 to sign him and figure to give him the big raise from his current $717,000 salary. His results over the past two seasons warrant a hefty increase, and the Wings are known for treating their players well ? especially goaltenders.

But another netminder would help deal with any unexpected problems. So would another utility forward, but Mike Modano is due back soon from his wrist injury. With how long he's been out, an effective Modano could function like a deadline pickup.

However, scoring is not a concern. The Wings have one of the highest-scoring teams in the NHL, and their defense is one of the best, too.

The biggest question mark will surround the team's grit, if only because every team should have a question mark somewhere, shouldn't it? Based on playoffs past, the Wings should have enough gritty forwards, but it never hurts to add more when you can get them.

THE VERDICT

Holland will likely make a deal or two that appears minor but has significant implications now and in the future. Center Kris Draper, a pending unrestricted free agent, will be one player to watch as the clock ticks down.

Don't count on anything major, but don't dismiss any trade that Detroit makes as unimportant. The biggest impact will likely be felt in the future when a draft pick acquired at the deadline pays off.

basketball basketball ball pictures basketball court pictures basketball defense