Insider Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet published this evening’s Trade Deadline Thoughts, where he noted that the Detroit Red Wings are in the mix on the market’s top two centers: Robert Thomas of St. Louis and the Rangers’ Vincent Trocheck.
Thomas, 26, is the bigger fish and likely the #1 overall player available before tomorrow’s 3 p.m. ET deadline. If GM Steve Yzerman would be able to pull it off, the 26-year-old could be the final piece to the puzzle up front after years of building. The center, an 80+ point getter over the last two seasons, is locked up through 2030-31 at a $8.125MM cap hit, reasonable considering that it will take him through the prime of his career.
Detroit has missed the playoffs for nine…