While the trade deadline has come and gone at the NHL level, the same restriction is not in place in the AHL, where the deadline won’t hit until the 14th of March. As such, the Red Wings organization swung a deal to acquire left-handed defenseman Nikolai Knyzhov from the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins for now more than “future considerations.”
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Knyzhov has two goals and five assists for seven points this season with Wilkes-Barre in 14 games, along with 19 penalty minutes. He’s also played six games for the ECHL’s Cincinnati Cyclones, picking up one assist in those games. Before this season, Knyzhov played 81 games split across for seasons in the NHL for the San Jose Sharks between 2019 and 2024. In those games, he totaled three goals, nine assists, and 55 PIMs, while averaging 16:33 of ice time.
Considering his history, Knyzhov does not project as an especially serious prospect for the Red Wings, though considering he does have NHL experience he could be an emergency call-up in a pinch somewhere down the line. More realistically, he will provide a bit of help for Grand Rapids in its push toward the Calder Cup playoffs.
Given that there was no cost to the acquisition, the deal is as clear cut of a ‘no risk’ move as a team could possibly swing. Meanwhile, the Griffins offered a tongue-in-cheek moment of appreciation for the considerations they acquired to acquire Knyzhov:
As for Knyzhov’s GR debut, the Griffins host the Hartford Wolf Pack Wednesday, then the Milwaukee Admirals on Friday, before traveling to Rockford to play the IceHogs Saturday. Presumably, one of those three games will see Knyzhov make his debut for the Red Wings organization.
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