DETROIT – The Detroit Red Wings have added depth and size up front by acquiring veteran left wing Erik Cole from the Dallas Stars before Monday's 3 p.m. trade deadline.
In exchange, the Red Wings will send two prospects -- Mattias Backman and Mattias Janmark -- and a 2015 second-round pick to the Stars. Detroit also acquired a conditional third-round pick from Dallas.
Cole, 36, is known for his size and aggressive play, but he also has skill around the net. The 6-foot-2, 200-pound wing has 18 goals and 15 assists in 57 games with the Stars this season. He's tallied multiple 20 and 30-goal seasons in his 14-year career. He becomes a free agent this summer. His salary cap hit is currently $4 million.
That means the Red Wings likely are just renting him for the playoffs. He has 46 career playoff games under his belt (14 points). He went to the Stanley Cup Final with the Carolina Hurricanes in 2002 when they fell to the Red Wings in five games. Cole had 9 points (6 goals, 3 assists) in 23 playoff games that year.
After stints in Edmonton and Montreal (and another in Carolina), Cole has been in Dallas the past three seasons. He most recently was playing on the Stars' first line with Jamie Benn and Jason Spezza. Cole had a goal and an assist in the Stars' 7-6 loss to the Red Wings on Feb. 21.
The move for Cole may come as a surprise to many who suspected the Red Wings would target a defenseman before the deadline. That still could happen. However, the Wings have gotten solid play from rookie defensemen Alexei Marchenko (who scored a goal in Saturday's win in Nashville) and Xavier Oullet. Moreover, Jakub Kindl has filled in nicely while Kyle Quincey, who has had a bounce-back season, has been out of the lineup with an ankle injury.
Cole's size and experience will be invaluable as Detroit prepares for the playoffs. Remember, Johan Franzen has been out of the lineup since early January with an injury. It's not clear if he's returning anytime soon. The remaining Detroit forward group consists of a handful of players without much NHL playoff experience outside of last year's 5-game series with the Boston Bruins.
The Red Wings' next game is Wednesday against the New York Rangers at Joe Louis Arena. The Wings went 4-1-1 during a six-game road trip which ended with a 4-3 win Saturday afternoon over the Nashville Predators, the NHL's top team.