The NHL Trade Deadline is just weeks away, and all 32 teams are taking stock of things and deciding how they will proceed between now and then. The Detroit Red Wings, after a rough start to their season, find themselves in the thick of the Eastern Conference playoff race thanks to an in-season coaching change as well as big contributions from their core players. After mostly sitting still at last year’s trade deadline, there is a little extra pressure on Red Wings general manager Steve Yzerman to add to his roster this year.
As is always the case, you have to give to get. The Red Wings’ roster certainly has needs to address, but Yzerman won’t be able to add anything significant without giving up something significant in return. More often than not, that equates to draft picks and prospects – future assets that will help the other team down the road. If you’ve been following along with the Red Wings’ rebuild, you know how this works; it wasn’t that long ago that they were in a seller’s position too.
Last week, we determined who the Red Wings’ best prospects are. Now it’s time to identify which prospects could be up for grabs is Yzerman is looking to bring a hot ticket item to Detroit.
William Wallinder
Since Yzerman took over in the spring of 2019, the Red Wings have often targeted high-upside, “project” defensemen early in the second round of the draft. With the 32nd pick in the 2020 draft, the Red Wings selected Swedish defenseman William Wallinder, and he certainly fits that mold.
Related: Red Wings Top 25 Prospects: 2024-25 Midseason Update
Now in his second season in the American Hockey League (AHL), Wallinder is coming into his own here in North America. He possesses good size at 6-foot-4, 205 pounds, and he has the ability to facilitate play from the back end. While he still projects as a two-way defenseman, he hasn’t flashed the kind of high-end offensive ability that would make it easier to project him as a top-four guy. Though he has yet to make his NHL debut, he was briefly called up to the Red Wings earlier this season, suggesting that the organization is pleased with his progress to this point.
Needless to say, there are a few other guys in the system that have a similar profile. Antti Tuomisto was the trend-setter, going 35th overall in 2019, and Shai Buium was the 2021 model, going 36th overall. Both of them are also in Grand Rapids with Wallinder, and both have impressed to varying degrees.
The best kind of trade is one where you can use a surplus asset to address an area of need elsewhere. With the guys already in the system as well as the organization’s established ability to identify this type of defenseman, Wallinder could be used as trade bait in a package for a difference-maker at the NHL level. While it would be a huge subtraction for the Grand Rapids Griffins, he is the caliber of prospect that Detroit should be willing to move if the right deal presents itself.
Jesse Kiiskinen
During the 2024 offseason, the Red Wings moved one of their second-round project defensemen (Andrew Gibson) to the Nashville Predators in a deal that landed Finnish forward Jesse Kiiskinen in the Red Wings’ prospect pool. Following the trade, Yzerman mentioned that he was a prospect Detroit had their eyes on during the 2023 draft, and the organization was excited to bring him into the fold.
Since then, Kiiskinen has revealed himself to be the prototypical Red Wings prospect. He battles every time he is on the ice, and his scoring ability is perhaps a little underrated. He’s a “lead by example” type of forward, and it is easy to imagine him joining Marco Kasper as tenacious forwards that push back against the stereotype of European players.
Sometimes the easiest players to move on from are the ones you didn’t put the time in to draft and develop. Kiiskinen’s status as a prospect has increased over the course of this season thanks to his performance for his team over in Finland as well as the World Juniors where he was an alternate captain for the Finns. He could be a really solid middle six piece for the Red Wings sometime down the road, but he could also be someone other teams covet.
While the Red Wings don’t have an influx of players like Kiiskinen in their system, he isn’t a one-of-a-kind prospect that they can’t afford to move on from. Just like Wallinder, Kiiskinen is someone Detroit should feel comfortable moving on from if they are getting something notable in return.
Nate Danielson
It isn’t common knowledge yet, but the Red Wings were big winners in the first round of the 2023 draft. They had two picks, ninth and 17th overall, and they left the night’s festivities with center Nate Danielson and defenseman Axel Sandin Pellikka. The latter has since become one of the biggest names in the prospect sphere, while the former is establishing himself as a pro this season in the AHL.
Danielson was drafted due to his compete level at both ends of the ice as well as his ability to create in the offensive zone. He earned the reputation of an incredibly difficult player to go up against, and he currently projects as a high-end matchup centerman because of it. He was the Red Wings’ top pick in that draft, and sure looks to be developing into the player they envisioned when they drafted him.
So then why could he be available in trade talks?
First and foremost, you have to give to get, and if the Red Wings are looking to make a big splash at the trade deadline or in the offseason, a former first round pick is the type of asset teams seek out when they are selling big-ticket items. Second, with Kasper and Dylan Larkin already in the fold, Detroit has some freedom to explore moving Danielson without completely torching their long-term plan down the middle – especially if the move is for a top-six center.
Any move involving Danielson needs to result in the Red Wings acquiring a player that can be a long-term fixture in Detroit. Ultimately that is the case with all three players mentioned here, but especially him given the asset the Red Wings used to acquire him.
Make Good Decisions
By no means should the Red Wings actively shop these players around. All three are quality prospects that could play key roles in Detroit in the not-so-distant future, and those are the types of players the organization should feel content to keep until that day arrives. There is power in liking what they have as it allows them to walk away from a proposition that may not be in their favor long-term.
But if a difference-maker is available and their current team is looking for future building blocks in return, the Red Wings have ammunition to get a deal done. As the Red Wings look to enter a new phase of their competitive cycle, it will be interesting to see and hear which players they are willing to move to get the job done.
