At twenty-four years old, Jurco has never played a full NHL season. He played a career-high 63 games with the Red Wings in 2014-15, but has always struggled to find his place in the lineup. He’s never really been given a real chance to prove that he belongs there. Since he’s been back from his off-season back surgery, the team has played 26 games. Jurco has drawn into the lineup for 13 of them. And this is not due to complications from his surgery. He’s getting very familiar with the press box.

Jurco has proven that he has talent. With the Grand Rapids Griffins, he put up 32 points in 32 games in 2013-14 before being called up for 36 games with the Red Wings, where he put up 15 points. The following season, Jurco played in 63 games with the Wings and scored 18 points. In both of these seasons, Jurco had a great 5v5 on-ice CF%. Then, the coaches started to experiment with Jurco a little bit, having him playing different roles on different lines with different players. Jurco’s confidence was shattered as they struggled to find a place for him and he spent more and more time in the press box. All that to say, if given the right opportunity on a team that can highlight his strengths and complement his weaknesses, Jurco could still grow into a solid two-way NHL forward. His ceiling is still high.

In addition to this, Jurco is a big boy. Standing 6’2” and weighing 188 lbs, Jurco can explode up the ice in a burst of speed and throw his weight around in the corners. It’s easy to see how a playoff-bound team looking for bottom-6 depth would kick tires on Jurco. He can do a lot with minimum time on ice. Even last season, he put up 0.97 points per 60 minutes played. It may not be top-6 production, but it’s certainly on the higher end of bottom-6 production.

I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention that Jurco is in the final year of his two-year, $1.8 million contract ($900k AAV). It’s an easy sell to a cap-strapped team looking for depth at the deadline. Plus, at the end of it, they have the option of re-signing the RFA or walking away.

The problem with Jurco actually having the potential to be a bottom-6 producer is that he’s not actually producing. Through 13 games this season, he hasn’t recorded a single point, despite playing an average of 10:19 per game. This is consistent with his average time-on-ice in prior seasons. His confidence is shattered and it will be hard to sell a construction project to a playoff team.

It’s also hard to sell a team on a player that they can’t watch play every night. With Jurco spending all of this time in the press box, his trade value remains extremely low. Not giving him the opportunity to prove himself could tell potential trade partners that he’s struggling with an injury (he did have back surgery a mere five months ago) or that he’s not good enough to be on the Red Wings roster every night. And, let’s be honest, it shouldn’t be a very hard roster to crack.

When looking for potential trade partners for a Tomas Jurco deal, you need to look at teams who need depth on the wing. The Chicago Blackhawks come to mind immediately. They are always willing to play at the trade deadline and, with their top-6 a pretty cemented group, their bottom-6 is a rotating door of average NHL players who can fill gaps. Jurco fits this definition perfectly. Plus, his cap hit is less than a million dollars, something a cap-strapped team like the Blackhawks is always looking for a break on.

The Dallas Stars are another team that may be players at the deadline. They are currently only four points out of a wild card playoff spot in the Western Conference and will be looking to make a push now that the All-Star Break is over. With some of their forwards out with injuries, the Stars may be looking to fill some gaps on their wing with depth players. The team is, however, hurting in the scoring department and will be looking for a spark to ignite their offense. I’m not sure Jurco is that spark.

And, if all else fails, they could always just send him to Arizona, the wasteland for contracts and failed potential.

As for a return, don’t expect much. Teams will not cough up high-end draft picks for a seemingly under-average winger who’s struggling to find his footing in the NHL. A team like Chicago or Dallas would maybe cough up a low draft pick with a condition. Or, in the case of Chicago, if I were Ken Holland I’d maybe try to package him up in that deal that they are working on for Nyquist or Tatar.