TEMPE, Ariz. — Derek Lalonde summed up the Detroit Red Wings' thinking at the trade deadline — they made only one small move — even before time expired.

"I think the message is there — this is a good group, a competitive group," the Wings head coach said a couple hours before Friday's 3 p.m. deadline. The only move the Wings made was to ship underachieving forward Klim Kostin to the San Jose Sharks for a player (defenseman Radek Simek) who was loaned to the minors and a 2024 seventh-round draft pick (via New Jersey).

"Our best addition may be no addition because of the group we have," Lalonde said.

THE REACTIONS: Red Wings fans 'disappointed but OK' with Steve Yzerman's quiet NHL trade deadline

That group has the Wings inside the Eastern Conference playoff picture, even after losing three straight games going into Friday's contest in Arizona. It's a group that reflects the many changes general manager Steve Yzerman made last summer, when he brought in a slew of new faces, including forwards J.T. Compher, Alex DeBrincat and Daniel Sprong; defensemen Shayne Gostisbehere and Jeff Petry; and goaltenders Alex Lyon and James Reimer.

Yzerman then signed Patrick Kane in late November, adding the sort of game-changer early that is in such demand at the trade deadline.

Those players have strengthened the Wings to the point they are on pace to advance to the playoffs, ending a seven-year drought. That would mark the season as a success. The Wings do not project to be a Stanley Cup contender this season, and no amount of trade deadline activity would have altered that.

Instead, Yzerman has kept a group together that has chemistry and belief in itself, while shipping out a player who wasn't a fit.

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This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Derek Lalonde reveals his takeaway from Red Wings making 1 minor trade