Red Wings acquire Marek Zidlicky from Devils

Marek Zidlicky

DETROIT – The Detroit Red Wings have acquired veteran defenseman Marek Zidlicky from the New Jersey Devils for a third-round draft pick in 2016 and a conditional 5th-round pick in 2015.

Zidlicky waived his no-trade clause to accept the deal (according to Sportsnet's Chris Johnston) which was struck just hours before Monday's 3 p.m. trade deadline.

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The 38-year-old righthanded blue-liner is set to become a free agent after this season. He signed a one-year, $3 million deal with New Jersey last year.

In 63 games with the Devils this season Zidlicky has scored 4 goals and 19 assists. Twelve of those 23 points have come on the power play (3 goals, 9 assists). He has been with the Devils for the past four seasons after starting his NHL career in Nashville and spending four seasons in Minnesota. Overall, he has played 762 career games.

As for playoff experience, Zidlicky has 38 playoff games under his belt. In 2012, when the Devils lost in the Stanley Cup Final, Zidlicky had 9 points in 24 postseason games.

Last season he scored 42 points in 81 games for the Devils. He had 8 power play goals. That's the type of defenseman he can be -- an offensive one. His plus-minus has suffered at times (he's a -7 this year, though plus-minus isn't always a telling statistic) but he's sure to get points on the man-advantage. He's not afraid to unload his righthanded shot from the point.

The Red Wings added Zidlicky a day after adding veteran winger Erik Cole.

Detroit's trade deadline moves were on the cheaper side of things with low risk levels. Cole and Zidlicky both become free agents after this season, and both add experience and depth to the Red Wings. The team was able to improve both on offense and defense without having to give up much in return, and without having to take on a big contract (I.e.: Dion Phaneuf's $7 million cap hit).

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.Â