The Detroit Red Wings` only trade at the deadline involved sending forward Joe Veleno to the Chicago Blackhawks in exchange for goalie Petr Mrazek and forward Craig Smith.
Following a ninth consecutive season without reaching the playoffs, a franchise record, captain Dylan Larkin expressed his view that this single transaction was insufficient.
`We didn`t build any positive momentum after the trade deadline, and the team felt a bit discouraged by it. It would have been beneficial to add something to inject energy on the ice and improve team morale,` Larkin stated during his end-of-season media availability on Saturday.
Steve Yzerman, a legendary figure for the franchise, returned as general manager in 2019 after achieving Stanley Cup success with the Tampa Bay Lightning. However, he has yet to replicate that level of success in Detroit.
After narrowly missing the playoffs the previous year due to a tiebreaker, Detroit`s performance declined to sixth place in the Atlantic Division, with a record of 39-35-8 and 86 points.
They were overtaken by teams such as the Ottawa Senators and Montreal Canadiens, both of whom reached the playoffs after undergoing similar rebuilding phases as Detroit.
While Montreal remained inactive at the deadline, Ottawa made significant moves by acquiring forwards Dylan Cozens and Fabian Zetterlund.
`You need to secure wins, and I believe it was particularly tough in March when we didn`t make any moves,` Larkin commented.
The Red Wings concluded the season ranked 20th overall, which means they won`t be eligible for the first overall draft pick but have a 5.1 percent chance of securing the second pick.
