from Ansar Khan of Mlive,

Yzerman’s lone move just before Friday’s 3 p.m. deadline was to free up $2 million in cap space for next season by unloading seldom-used forward Klim Kostin to San Jose for AHL defenseman Radim Simek, who was assigned to Grand Rapids, and a seventh-round pick.

“What’s the cost of acquiring the player and what role are they going to play for you?” Yzerman said. “Ultimately, I like to think part of why we weren’t very active this year at the deadline is we like the depth we have within the organization. We have some good players in Grand Rapids. Some of our young prospects provide us good depth. So, sitting at the deadline, looking at areas that could help us and ultimately giving up a first- or second- or third-round pick for depth, we’re better off bringing up our guys from Grand Rapids.”

Their top prospects, right wing Jonathan Berggren and defenseman Simon Edvinsson, are NHL-ready. Berggren might be recalled on Saturday and could remain with the team for the rest of the season and through the playoffs if they qualify....

“I think the atmosphere within the team … is we have very good team spirit,” Yzerman said. “There’s a lot of enthusiasm. You hear the players talk about how much they’re enjoying playing together. That’s encouraging and they have gotten us into a good spot.”

Scoring is not as big a concern for a team that ranks sixth in goals per game (3.48), though the Red Wings will miss Dylan Larkin, who’s been idled for one game and is expected to miss approximately two weeks with a lower-body injury.

Yzerman said the team must improve defensively (ranked 22nd at 3.26 goals per game).

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