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Red Wings are sellers at deadline: Who else might be traded by Monday?

Detroit Red Wings general manager Ken Holland is open for business as a seller as the NHL trade deadline nears.
Defenseman Xavier Ouellet hasn't been able to gain a foothold with the Wings, and it'd be ideal to find him a new home.

Detroit Red Wings general manager Ken Holland is open for business as a seller as the NHL trade deadline nears.

He began the week by moving goaltender Petr Mrazek to Philadelphia in exchange for two conditional picks.

Here’s a look at who else might be on the move before 3 p.m. Monday.

Defenseman Mike Green

2017-18 stats: 6 goals, 23 assists for 29 points in 56 games.

Why he might be traded:He’s a right-shooting defenseman with a nose for offense, a guy who’ll help a good team get that much better on the power play. He’s also in the last year of his contract, giving him appeal as a rental player who won’t impact next season’s salary cap. Last year the Wings were able to get a second- and third-round pick for Brendan Smith, and Green’s skill set is more valuable. Green has a no-trade clause so he’d have to sign off on a trade, but he’s said he’s open minded. He has missed the last three games with some neck pain, but an injured player can be traded so long as the taker is comfortable with the player’s status. Green is also expected to be in the lineup by the end of the week.

Forward Gustav Nyquist

2017-18 stats: 16 goals, 12 assists, 28 points in 59 games.

Why he might be traded: Nyquist could help a team in need of an offensive boost. He’s on pace to top 20 goals this season, and has twice in his career flirted with 30 goals. On a better team, he could return to those latter numbers. He does have a year left at a salary cap hit of $4.75 million, so the Wings might have to retain salary to move him. Nyquist also would have to approve a trade as he has a no-trade clause.

Forward Andreas Athanasiou

2017-18 stats:11 goals, 15 assists for 26 points in 48 games.

Why he might be traded: Tuesday’s 3-2 loss to Nashville saw Athanasiou score on a breakaway, battle down low to set up another goal, hit the net on another scoring chance. He’s a gifted skater with excellent hands. Inconsistency is a problem, though - he had just three assists in the 13 games prior to Tuesday, despite average 15 minutes 30 seconds per game. He’s got too elite of a skill set to go long stretches between standing out. If a really good offer materializes, either now or in the summer, such as for a high-end defense prospect, he could be ideal trade chip. Athanasiou is restricted at the end of the season, but he’s got arbitration rights this time around and the Wings have the right to pick a one- or two-year deal, so it won’t get ugly like last summer when he held out to start the season.

Forward Luke Glendening

2017-18 stats: 8 goals, 6 assists for 14 points in 47 games.

Why he might be traded: He’s a fast bottom-six forward who can play center or wing. He’s having a nice season offensively. He’s terrific on faceoffs (57.8 winning percentage having won 260 of 450) and he’s a hard-nosed penalty killer who is a threat to score shorthanded (at the very least, he kills off valuable seconds when he skates the puck into the offensive zone). He has three years left on his contract but it’s a reasonable $1.8 million per year cap hit. He was a favorite of Mike Babcock, the former Wings coach now behind the bench in Toronto.

Defenseman Xavier Ouellet

2017-18 stats: 4 assists in 36 games.

Why he might be traded: The Wings are trying to find a home for the little-used defenseman as he no longer fits into their plans. Ouellet is smart, but he can’t out-skate mistakes.

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

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