Red Wings grab LW Brendan Perlini from Blackhawks in exchange for prospect

DETROIT – Steve Yzerman has made a trade -- perhaps a steal. 

Today, the Detroit Red Wings general manager traded away defensive prospect Alec Regula to the Chicago Blackhawks in exchange for left wing Brendan Perlini. In terms of helping the Red Wings right now, it's an effort to add forward depth while the team has a few players out with injuries including forwards Luke Gelendening, Justin Abdelkader and Adam Erne.

Beyond that, this could pay dividends for Detroit in the long run. Make no mistake: Regula, 19, is considered a very strong prospect out of the London Knights. Detroit selected him -- a 6-foot-4 West Bloomfield native -- in the 2nd round of 2018 draft and former Detroit GM Ken Holland had been letting him mature with his junior team.

However, Yzerman is in charge now and has decided to move the young defenseman for a player that could help the Red Wings sooner than later. Perlini is relatively young himself at just 23. He is a former first-round pick still looking to find his stride in the NHL. He signed a one-year deal with the Blackhawks in September with the assumption that he would be helping the Blackhawks turn things around this season.

However, Perlini was not getting much ice time, having appeared in just one game for the Hawks this season after signing that one-year deal. Chicago started looking to move him after reports that he asked for a trade.

As mentioned, he is a former 1st-round pick, selected 12th overall in 2014 by the Arizona Coyotes. He scored 14 goals in his rookie season, and followed that up with 17 goals in his second season. The Blackhawks picked him up in a trade last November. He was acquired with Dylan Strome in exchange for Nick Schmaltz. He scored another 14 goals this past season. 

Red Wings lose 8 straight

This could be the boost the Red Wings need right now to at least stop their downward spiral. Detroit dropped its 8th-straight game on Sunday when the St. Louis Blues topped them in overtime, 5-4. That game against the Blues -- the defending Stanley Cup champions -- was actually one of Detroit's stronger performances amid this losing streak. They had been outscored 24-9 over the course of the previous seven games. 

Maybe Perlini can help push them over the edge in these tighter contests. And, perhaps, he can be a part of the future. 

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