Red Wings Continue Selling, Ship Out Steve Ott
The same day that Brendan Smith was traded by Detroit to the New York Rangers, another Red Wing was packing his bags and heading home from a western Canada trip early due to trade. This time it was agitator Steve Ott.
The Red Wings sent Ott to the Montreal Canadiens for a sixth-round pick in 2018.
News broke of the trade during the overtime period.
Ott, 34, was signed by the Red Wings this last offseason to insert some grit into the lineup night in and night out. He had done that by appearing in seven fights and racking up over 60 penalty minutes in just 42 game appearances this season. The forward also racked up six points (3-3-6) on the year.
The Red Wings will see the Canadiens two more times this season.
Detroit is in full on sell mode as the 25-year playoff appearance streak looks to be at an end. With the NHL trade deadline coming up at 3 P.M. eastern time today, the Red Wings have already shipped out Tomas Jurco, Brendan Smith, and Steve Ott. The rumor mills will keep churning all the way up to the deadline as guys like Thomas Vanek, Drew Miller and even Tomas Tatar have been rumored to be on the trade block.