Notes: Wings will miss Nyquist but wish him well

DETROIT -- As the old saying goes, if you can't beat them, join them.
That's what happened with Gustav Nyquist late Sunday night.

Just a few hours after Nyquist scored in the Detroit Red Wings' 5-3 loss to the San Jose Sharks, the Wings traded him to the Sharks for a second-round pick in the 2019 NHL Entry Draft and a conditional third-round pick in the 2020 Draft.
Tweet from @BjurmanPer: Nyquist to Aftonbladet: - I've had eight amazing years in Detroit, but it's gonna be great to come to Sharks and try and go all the way.
The conditional third-round pick would become a second-round pick if the Sharks make the Stanley Cup Final this season or if Nyquist re-signs with the Sharks.
"I called Gus last night, when I heard," Wings coach Jeff Blashill said. "I was here for a while last night and then I went home. It hadn't happened until I got home and Ken called me. I called Gus and similar to (Nick) Jensen, and I've been with Gus even longer. Listen, Gus has given me everything on a consistent basis. His work ethic, his care level, he's a winner of a person, a winner of a player, somebody you want on your hockey team and somebody that's done tons for the teams I've coached. I told hm that and I have great respect for him and we had a good chat. I think he's going to a situation in San Jose where they have a legit chance to win the Cup."

Blashill spoke with Sharks coach Pete DeBoer Monday morning.
"Pete was asking him about him a little bit," Blashill said. "I think it's really good fit. I've seen some other trades where privately, I haven't said it publicly, I wasn't sure if it was a good fit. Style of play, where they'd fit in, all those things. In this case, style of play and everything is a good fit. I think Gus can help them, he's a really good player and outstanding person, outstanding winner."
In the past few seasons, Dylan Larkin has seen some longtime Red Wings get traded; Nyquist last night, Nick Jensen this past Friday and Tomas Tatar last season among them.
"It's part of where we're at right now," Larkin said. "Part of the business side of hockey. I'm gonna miss him a lot. He's a great teammate, a great worker, someone who I enjoyed playing with. I had great chemistry with him. I think he's going to help their team a lot. There still is a possibility where he could sign back here in the summer. I hope he would explore that. It would be great to have him back and he'd help our team a lot. I'm gonna miss him and I wish him the best of luck."

Defenseman Danny DeKeyser feels a special kinship with Nyquist.
"We both kind of came into the team around the same time in 2013, played in Grand Rapids a little bit together, so obviously we spent some time here the last five years," DeKeyser said. "He's a great guy, a great person, he's a great teammate. I wish him nothing but the best. I hope he does well. As for us, I hope we improve and use those picks to better our team."

HOWARD BACK AT PRACTICE: Goaltender Jimmy Howard was back at practice Monday after missing the last two games due to illness.
Of course, being in the final year of his contract, Howard knew his absence would fuel speculation before today's trade deadline.
"Oh yeah. The phone was blowing up Friday night," Howard said. "I had other things to worry about."
Howard said he knew Friday morning that he wasn't going to play that night against the Minnesota Wild.
"You wake up with the cold sweats and the shivering," Howard said. "It wasn't fun for about 30 hours. I don't know if I got it from one of my boys, or from one of my best friends who came out for the (500th game) ceremony, or somebody in the room here. I don't know."
Frans Nielsen, Nyquist and Justin Abdelkader had also been affected but so far, no one else has gotten sick.
The Wings had to recall Harri Sateri from the AHL's Grand Rapids Griffins twice to back up Jonathan Bernier in Howard's absence.
But Blashill said Howard would be available for Tuesday's game against the Montreal Canadiens, although he said he had not yet decided on a starter.
Meanwhile, Howard was feeling physically better while remaining a bit on edge until the 3 p.m. deadline passed.
"It's no fun for anyone," Howard said. "It is part of the business. I think from the fans' side of it, they like to have fun and speculate. Social media doesn't really help with the issue, either."

LINES IN PRACTICE/BOWEY TO PLAY: In addition to missing Nyquist, the Red Wings were without Thomas Vanek, who missed Sunday's game with a hip flexor issue.
"He won't be available tomorrow," Blashill said. "We're going to reassess where he's at after the day off on Thursday to see if he'll be ready for the games on the trip. We'll take that day by day. I don't think it's something where he's out necessarily a long time, but it could be. Just don't know how it's going to improve."
As a result, the lines had to change in practice on Monday. Larkin centered Darren Helm and Anthony Mantha; Andreas Athanasiou centered Tyler Bertuzzi and Filip Zadina; Nielsen centered Luke Glendening and Michael Rasmussen; and Jacob de la Rose centered Abdelkader and Luke Witkowski.
Blashill said Athanasiou's move to center is for the remainder of the season.
"We've got 19 games left, about a quarter of the season," Blashill said. "It's a similar move I made with Larkin a couple years ago at the exact same time when a lot of people didn't think that Larkin was quite ready for the defensive responsibilities for it and in the end because of Larkin's approach, because of his drive, because of his ability to continue to improve, he's become a top-line center. I'm hoping putting Double-A in that spo,t it can ultimately produce for us a top-two-line center and ultimately we're a way better hockey team."
Blashill said Abdelkader would be back on the power play.
Blashill also said defenseman Madison Bowey, acquired in the Jensen trade with the Washington Capitals, would play against the Canadiens.
ZADINA PUMPED TO FACE CANADIENS: Every single day, Zadina is reminded of his 2018 draft day comments.
When Montreal and Ottawa passed on the slick winger in last year's draft, Zadina vowed the Canadiens and Senators would regret passing him over, publicly stating, "I'm going to fill their nets with pucks."
Tuesday night at Little Caesars Arena, Zadina will have an opportunity to make good on his proclamation when the Red Wings host the Canadiens.
And after Monday's practice at the BELFOR Training Center, the good-natured winger didn't back down from his initial comments, but he was more focused on making an impact on the Wings brass during his nine-game stint with the club, especially with the opportunity to pick up some of Nyquist's minutes.
"I don't know what to say, he's (Nyquist) been traded and there's an open spot for a winger and I will try my best to fill the spot there and for the next season," Zadina said. "But I just want to play good hockey and be on the spot for the nine games or whatever.
"I feel good, I had a good sleep. I was still kind of thinking about the game last night, but I had a good sleep and I feel great and I'm excited for tomorrow."
Playing Montreal has given Zadina a little extra incentive.
"Yeah, 100 percent, especially after the draft," he said. "I'll try my best and we'll see what happens. It's going to be a huge, huge game and obviously we want to win as Detroit and it will be way sweeter if we win."
How terrific would it be if he scored his first NHL goal against the Canadiens?
"It would be like a special night," Zadina said. "But it would still be the first NHL goal, so it doesn't matter which team I score against, it would be perfect."
Zadina joked he hears about his draft comments every day thanks to social media.
"I see it every single day on the internet, but it's fun to watch," he said.
Though he's only played one NHL game, Zadina's approach is the same regardless if he's in the NHL or AHL.
"My mindset every single shift is to compete 100 percent even more," he said. "And play hard for the team and try and get a shot on the net."