If you look at the Detroit Red Wings’ lineup from Thursday night’s game against the Montreal Canadiens, there are a couple of noteworthy takeaways when considering how the team was constructed.
- 10 Red Wings draft picks
- 9 free agent signings
- 1 player acquired via trade
First, with 10 former Red Wing draft picks in the lineup, it’s clear that Detroit’s draft-and-develop strategy is paying off. Second, it’s surprising that only one player was acquired via trade: Alex DeBrincat.
I want to focus on the latter takeaway – the lack of activity on the trade market. While teams shouldn’t force moves, it may be time for the Red Wings to take some calculated risks to bolster their lineup in a sustainable manner.
Steve Yzerman spoke about this briefly in the press conference held shortly after the hiring of Todd McLellan. He noted that he’s constantly checking in with teams on who’s available, but also shared that everyone is looking to improve their organization – you aren’t going to get gamebreakers for nothing.
“To get those players, we gotta give up our good players,” said Yzerman. “It’s as simple as that.
“I’m going to give you my bad players for your good players. I’ll give you two bad ones for one good one – it doesn’t work that way.”
Simply put, you have to give something up to get something in return. But what can the Red Wings offer up at this point? Let’s explore that question a little deeper.
Red Wings’ Expendable Players & Prospects
Everyone has their favorite players and prospects. You get attached to them for any number of reasons. Emmitt Finnie. Amadeus Lombardi. Carter Mazur. The list goes on.
The fact of the matter, though, is not every prospect becomes a key contributor for the Red Wings. It’s a numbers game – the Red Wings have a deep prospect pool and several young players already on the NHL roster. There isn’t enough room for everyone.
To illustrate this, let’s look at a roster projection for the 2027-28 season. In three years, here’s what the Red Wings could look like, with each player’s age noted in parenthesis.
| LW | C | RW |
| Lucas Raymond (25) | Dylan Larkin (31) | Michael Brandsegg-Nygard (21) |
| Marco Kasper (23) | Nate Danielson (22) | Alex DeBrincat (29) |
| Jonatan Berggren (27) | Michael Rasmussen (28) | Dmitri Buchelnikov (24) |
| Carter Mazur (25) | Joe Veleno (27) | Amadeus Lombardi (24) |
| Elmer Soderblom (26) | J.T. Compher (32) |
| LD | RD | G |
| Simon Edvinsson (24) | Moritz Seider (26) | Sebastian Cossa (24) |
| William Wallinder (25) | Axel Sandin Pellikka (22) | Trey Augustine (22) |
| Shai Buium (24) | Albert Johansson (27) | |
| Antti Tuomisto (26) |
This obviously excludes Detroit’s 2025 first-round pick (plus subsequent draft picks). It also excludes others who could challenge for a roster spot by 2027-28, such as Jesse Kiiskinen, Max Plante, Cross Hanas, Emmitt Finnie, Ondrej Becher, Dylan James, and Anton Johansson. Possible additions via external sources are omitted as well.
Why state this? Two reasons. First, this lineup has flaws. What’s shown above assumes Alex DeBrincat re-signs when he becomes a free agent in 2027. There’s also no guarantee Brandsegg-Nygard and Danielson turn into bonafide top-six forwards by this point. In addition, the Red Wings could use another top-four defenseman to round out the blue line.
The second reason is to show the depth that the Red Wings have accumulated. Including the omitted prospects, there are 20 forwards and eight defensemen who could conceivably be on the 2027-28 Red Wings who are already in the system. Clearly, not everyone can make the team.
Given this, most of these players should be considered expendable. In my opinion, the untouchables are Dylan Larkin, Lucas Raymond, Michael Brandsegg-Nygard, Nate Danielson, Marco Kasper, Alex DeBrincat, Simon Edvinsson, Moritz Seider, Axel Sandin Pellikka, Sebastian Cossa, and Trey Augustine.
Everyone else is replaceable. This also includes players currently on the roster with contracts expiring before 2027-28.
It’s true. They can be replaced by someone already in the system or a free agent. Regarding the latter source, there are bargain signings to be had every offseason. Shayne Gostisbehere, Daniel Sprong, and Alex Lyon are prime examples.
And since they can be replaced, these players and prospects should be dangled in trade discussions. Yzerman is right that you can’t trade bad players for good players, but there are also several good players in the system who are not untouchable, such as Jonatan Berggren, Dmitri Buchelnikov, Michael Rasmussen, and William Wallinder. These players could help bring back a bonafide top-six forward or top-four defensemen.
This isn’t to say they should be traded for anyone or that I want them to be moved. The intent here is to maximize available resources. The Red Wings have a large supply of NHL-quality players and prospects, especially at forward. Some could be moved to improve deficiencies elsewhere in the lineup. That’s good resource management.
Final Word
Who should the Red Wings target? Dylan Cozens has been rumored to be of interest. Bowen Byram and Alex Romanov could fit in well, too.
Related: Red Wings: 3 Early Targets for 2025 Trade Deadline
But having trade ammo doesn’t mean the Red Wings should rush to fire off a deal. They need to be strategic and ensure they get the right return to strengthen the team. Yzerman has to find the right balance of maximizing his resources to improve the organization while also not depleting said resources. Lastly, other teams need to be willing to deal high-quality players – it takes two to tango, after all.
