The Red Wings traded defenseman Mike Commodore (right) to Tampa Bay for a conditional seventh-round draft choiceDETROIT -- Seldom-used defenseman Mike Commodore knew he had virtually no opportunity to play for the Detroit Red Wings, so he welcomed today's trade that sent him to the Tampa Bay Lightning for a conditional seventh-round draft pick.
“It's good,'' Commodore told M-Live.com. "It would have been nice to see this thing through here. It's a good team here, they got as good a chance to win as anybody else, but this is probably better for me. I get an opportunity. I never really got an opportunity here, was in and out.''
Commodore played only 17 games this season and had been a healthy scratch the past nine games, since Feb. 6 at Phoenix.
After the team acquired Kyle Quincey last week, Commodore was bumped down to eighth on the depth chart, behind Jakub Kind. And he would have been further buried in the playoffs, behind rookie Brendan Smith.
“I played 17 games, was a healthy scratch for 30 games, that's not going to cut it,'' Commodore said. “I had a meeting with Kenny (general manager Holland), said I'll see it through, ride it out. I didn't ask for a trade. I'm fine either way.
"With me signing here the first day of free agency (July 1), I think that was a big reason why Ken decided to move me. There just was no opportunity here.''
Commodore was extremely frustrated much of this season but did not want to criticize coach Mike Babcock. He took the high road again today.
“I enjoyed being in the dressing room, the guys, had a really good time, learned a lot even without playing,'' Commodore said.
“I'm fine. It just didn't work out. It's not the first team where it didn't work out. It's time to move on.''