Wings ship Vanek to Panthers for draft pick, McIlrath
Ken Holland spent a lot of time on the phone in recent days and it paid off.
The veteran general manager of the rebuilding Detroit Red Wings acquired a third-round pick and seldom-used defenseman Dylan McIlrath from Florida for forward Thomas Vanek a few hours before the trade deadline.
Detroit also acquired a 2018 second-round pick and 2017 third-round selection from the New York Rangers for defenseman Brendan Smith, a third-round pick from Chicago for forward Tomas Jurco and a sixth-round slot in 2018 from Montreal for forward Steve Ott.
Holland was in selling mode for the first time since becoming the franchise's GM in 1997. He has helped them win four Stanley Cups and extend a postseason streak to 25 years.
The remarkable run will likely end this year for the last-place team in the Atlantic Division. Detroit has 11 picks in this year's draft as it retools a team heading into a new arena next season.
