Red Wings trade Mike Green to Oilers for Kyle Brodziak, conditional pick

Detroit Red Wings general manager Steve Yzerman made one of his patented late-night moves again, sending defenseman Mike Green to the Edmonton Oilers for Kyle Brodziak and a conditional draft pick.

It was rumored Green, 34, would be traded, as he was held out of the Red Wings’ Sunday night game against the Calgary Flames.

The conditional pick is a 2020 fourth-round pick but becomes a third-round pick in 2021 if the Oilers advance to the conference final and Green plays in at least half of the games.

The Red Wings retained 50% of Green’s salary, which isn’t a big deal since he is an unrestricted free agent after this season anyway.

Brodziak, 35, went on long-term injured reserve to begin the season and, essentially, was forced to retire. He scored six goals and had three assists in 70 games for the Oilers last season. For his career, he has 129 goals and 167 assists in 917 games with the Oilers, Minnesota Wild and St. Louis Blues.

Essentially, the Red Wings get a fourth-round pick and, possibly, a third-round pick for Green.

While the return may be underwhelming for many Red Wings fans, Green’s value has plummeted during the last couple of seasons with injuries, so getting anything for Green is a win in my book.

Green will provide nice depth for the Oilers and could even be asked to run a power play. It’ll be interesting to see how Green fares on a team that averages more than three goals per game for. We all know Green has never been a defensive stud, so moving him to a team that has offensive threats could be beneficial for the defenseman.

He also won’t asked to defend as much with Edmonton. The Oilers are about middle of the pack in goals allowed at 192, but it’s nowhere near the 240 the Red Wings have allowed this season.