Since Steve Yzerman took over as general manager of the Detroit Red Wings, he has built the team from the ground up primarily through the draft. We’ve seen the fruits of his labor – Moritz Seider and Lucas Raymond are team leaders and franchise cornerstones.
Now, the Red Wings are close to breaking through and reaching the playoffs for the first time since Dylan Larkin’s rookie season.
They’re not a perfect team, and certainly have areas to improve. They do, however, have a fully stocked prospect pipeline, and have reached the point where they need to prioritize quality over quantity. Not every prospect will reach the NHL, after all. Some are key to Detroit’s future. Others are expendable.
To illustrate this, I broke out the Red Wings’ prospect pipeline into tiers:
- Tier 1 – Players to build around
- Tier 2 – Has an NHL future, but in a lesser role
- Tier 3 – Has a chance to become a low-ceiling NHL contributor
- Tier 4 – Likely tops out as an AHL contributor; small chance of reaching the NHL
- Tier 5 – Unlikely to reach the NHL
Related: Red Wings Top 25 Prospects: 2024-25 Midseason Update
With this information at hand, we can thoroughly explore the depth of Detroit’s prospect pool and have a better understanding of potential costs as we approach the trade deadline. Note that players are listed in alphabetical order within each tier.
Red Wings Prospects – Tier 1
These five players are the future of the Red Wings. They should be untouchable in trade discussions – unless the focus is on a controllable, All-Star-caliber player.
- Trey Augustine – G
- Michael Brandsegg-Nygard – RW
- Sebastian Cossa – G
- Nate Danielson – C
- Axel Sandin Pellikka – RD
Red Wings Prospects – Tier 2
While these prospects don’t have top-of-the-lineup potential, they still have an NHL ceiling. Ideally, Detroit holds onto these players as depth pieces. That is, unless a slam-dunk trade offer comes along.
- Dmitri Buchelnikov – RW
- Carter Mazur – RW
- Max Plante – C/RW
- William Wallinder – LD
Red Wings Prospects – Tier 3
Similar to Tier 2, these players have NHL upside, but in bottom-of-the-lineup roles. If another team values them higher, Detroit should consider moving them to acquire a more impactful roster player for the short term.
- Shai Buium – LD
- Jesse Kiiskinen – RW
- Amadeus Lombardi – C/LW
- Emmitt Finnie – C/LW
Red Wings Prospects – Tier 4
This tier likely tops out as solid AHL players who could get a taste of NHL action down the line. Same as above – if another team sees higher value, the Red Wings should explore a trade to bolster the organization.
- Ondrej Becher – LW/C
- Brady Cleveland – LD
- Liam Dower Nilsson – LW/C
- Noah Dower Nilsson – LW/C
- Cross Hanas – LW
- Dylan James – LW
- Anton Johansson – RD
- Larry Keenan – LD
- Red Savage – C
- Antti Tuomisto – RD
- Eemil Viro – LD
Red Wings Prospects – Tier 5
Finally, these players aren’t likely to reach the NHL. And some won’t even get entry-level deals. Detroit should trade them if there’s an interested party and the return can help in some way.
- Brennan Ali – C
- Kyle Aucoin – LD
- Austin Baker – LW
- Kevin Bicker – LW
- Kienan Draper – C
- Alexandre Doucet – C/LW
- Charlie Forslund – LW
- Rudy Guimond – G
- Carter Gylander – G
- Max Kilpinen – LW
- Owen Mehlenbacher – C
- Landon Miller – G
- Jack Phelan – RD
- Jakub Rychlovsky – RW
- Fisher Scott – LD
- Sam Stange – RW
- John Whipple – LD
Final Word
Given the composition of Detroit prospect pipeline and the state of the franchise, it would be wise to avoid trading prospects and Tiers 1 & 2. These players, alongside Larkin, Seider, Raymond, and Simon Edvinsson, are expected to carry the Red Wings into the future.
Tier 3 and below should be considered trade chips. Obviously, the return needs to justify the cost. For example, moving Amadeus Lombardi for a depth rental piece would be ill-advised. That said, these players are replaceable. And if there’s a smart deal to be made, Detroit should leverage their prospect depth effectively.
