from J.J. Regan of NBCSports Washington,

This week, we will be exploring a possible trade deadline target from Monday through Friday and look into why they do and do not make sense for Washington to pursue.

Detroit isn’t making the playoffs and it makes no sense for them to hold onto a very productive player who will be an unrestricted free agent in the offseason.

Nyquist is currently second on the Red Wings in points with 47. He has top-six skill, but what really jumps out when you watch him play is how opportunistic he is. If the puck is in the offensive zone, he is going to the front of the net for rebounds or deflections and seems to find himself in the perfect position to pick up those high-danger chances. He is also good in his own end of the ice and smart with the breakout whether it means a quick pass out to start the rush or taking it himself.

Nyquist has a no-trade clause. Not a modified no-trade clause, but a full no-trade clause. If he doesn’t want to come to Washington, that’s the end of the discussion. The deal would also mean Detroit would have to retain quite a bit of his salary even if Andre Burakovsky is part of the deal as Nyquist’s cap hit is $4.75 million....

For me personally, I would never trade a first round pick for a rental. Ever. For a team like Detroit that is rebuilding, you would think a first round draft pick would be the starting point for any deal for Nyquist so that’s a non-starter for me.

Having said that, if there is some way to talk the price down, this would be a great move....

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