On the block: Mike Green

Removed from his days where he played for the Washington Capitals, Mike Green isn’t the same player he once was. That doesn’t mean that Green isn’t a fantastic player in his own right. One of the best offensive defensemen for a period of time, flashes of it are still there.

The question remains, can he still be a number one defender in this league? Does he still have the skills to make it happen?

At his age it is a legitimate question that needs to be answered. How long can he perform at this level? Any team taking on his contract needs to have faith in his skill set.

Even at 31, Green can score with the best of them. By all accounts, the Red Wings have an anemic offense that takes a while to get off the ground. A lot of the scoring comes from the forwards but one defenseman keeps putting up points in Green. He is still over a half a point per game player this year, a good mark for any defensemen.

He was Erik Karlsson before Erik Karlsson. Strong on the puck and nimble on his feet. It was a sight to see him with the puck on his stick. At his peak, he was one of the best in the league. His performances now are inconsistent but his shot differential at even strength is still very good. It makes all of the sense in the world that the Wings would want to trade him. He has some value while not figuring into their long-term plans.

He is what every team needs but it unfortunately comes with a high price tag.

You are getting an aging defensemen and everything that comes with it. Prior injury history? Check. Decline in point totals? Check. Bloated contract that doesn’t get any easier to swallow? Check.

At $6 million a season until 2018-19, you are investing in a player that has a track record but is also going to be expected to do more than he is probably capable of at this point in his career. Can he really helm the number one defensemen spot for a contender? Unlikely.

That’s essentially what you are paying him for as well. You can’t have him sit in your second or third pair for that much money. It is a lot of money for someone that may not be trusted defensively by an old school coach.

How many coaches are willing to take a risk on a player that may not perform up to the standards that they’ve set. It’s a real lose-lose situation.

Almost every contender needs a right handed defenseman that can play on the first pair. Most of the time they are few and far between to find. When looking at contenders in the eastern conference, a couple of teams come to mind.

The Leafs make sense given their make up at the moment. They likely won’t be buyers at the deadline considering their Stanley Cup window hasn’t even opened up yet. The Bruins could be an interesting thought if they believe their window is beginning to close. The team’s comments on Claude Julien makes me think they are wanting to do a pseudo rebuild.

Elsewhere in the East, the Flyers need help on the back end but it doesn’t seem like they want to splurge on a veteran this year. They have a big, build it all up from the farm system type feel to them. Out of all of the teams, the Rangers seem like a logical fit given their proclivity to spend money and the need for an upgrade on defense. Some money wrangling would need to take place for it to work though. They definitely have some pieces to make it work if they were interested. 

In the Western Conference, nearly every contender has a player on the right side that can eat minutes like Green. That is part of the reason why they’re near the top of the standings. The Oilers could be a possibility but similarly to the Leafs, they don’t have the window to truly be a contender just yet. 

It is more likely that the Wings hold onto Green this trade deadline and try to find the right partner this next summer.

On The Block: Thomas Vanek 

On The Block: Tomas Jurco 

On The Block: Brendan Smith 

On The Block: Steve Ott