Red Wings trade Luke Witkowski, Nick Leddy to St. Louis Blues

As anticipated, the Detroit Red Wings traded defenseman Nick Leddy ahead of Monday afternoon's NHL trade deadline. 

Leddy goes to the St. Louis Blues for a 2023 second-round pick, forward Oskar Sundqvist and Jake Walman, the Wings announced an hour before the deadline. Leddy, 31, was scratched the past two Wings games as protection against injury, signaling general manager Steve Yzerman was going to trade the pending unrestricted free agent.

Minor-leaguer Luke Witkowski, of Holland, also went to the Blues in the deal. The Leddy trade comes a day after Yzerman dealt Troy Stecher to the Los Angeles Kings for a seventh-round pick. Leddy is a good skater and passer, but he struggled to make the Wings better, recording 16 points and a minus-33 rating in 55 games. The Wings retained 50% of Leddy's $5.5 million salary cap hit in the deal. 

Witkowski joined the Red Wings for the first time this year on Dec. 7 but did not see any game time in the NHL. From 2017-19, the blueliner spent two full seasons with Detroit, totaling six points (1-5—6) and 91 penalty minutes in 65 outings. The former Western Michigan Bronco has appeared in 131 games in the NHL and has amassed 13 points (2-11—13) and 162 penalty minutes. Witkowski has spent eight years in the AHL with Syracuse and Grand Rapids, registering 48 points (9-39—48) and 664 penalty minutes in 280 contests. He has been on the Griffins most of the season.

The second-round pick is the key asset, as it will help the rebuild. But Sundqvist could be a factor in the present. 

Sundqvist, who turns 28 on Wednesday, is a 6-foot-3 center who began his NHL career with the Pittsburgh Penguins. He has four goals and 11 assists in 41 games this season, and 87 points in 270 career games. He is signed through 2022-23 with a $2.75 million salary cap hit. 

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Walman, 26, is a 6-foot-2, 215-pound defenseman who has six points in 32 games this season, and eight points in 57 games. He's on an expiring contract with a $725,000 salary cap hit.

Contact Helene St. James at hstjames@freepress.com. Follow her on Twitter @helenestjames.