Detroit Red Wings 2026 Trade Board

Doing my best to be like the people over at the Athletic, I’m going to be making a trade bait board, but just for who I believe should rank highest on the Red Wings radar. This will take into account cost, talent, cap space, and future outlook, all kinds of jumbled into one big piece. So without further ado, let’s get into it.

Red Wings Trade Bait Board:

1. Logan Stanley, Winnipeg Jets Defenceman
2. Justin Faulk, St. Louis Blues Defenceman
3. Michael Bunting, Nashville Predators Forward
4. Artemi Panarin, New York Rangers Forward
5. Simon Benoit, Toronto Maple Leafs Defenceman
6. Connor Murphy, Chicago Blackhawks Defenceman
7. Robert Thomas, St. Louis Blues Forward
8. Jason Robertson, Dallas Stars Forward
9. Vincent Trocheck, New York Rangers Forward
10. Jordan Kyrou, St. Louis Blues Forward
11. Brayden Schenn, St. Louis Blues Defenceman
12. Elias Pettersson, Vancouver Canucks Forward
13. Dougie Hamilton, New Jersey Devils Defenceman
14. Conor Garland, Vancouver Canucks Forward
15. Mario Ferraro, San Jose Sharks Defenceman
16. Alexis Lafreniere, New York Rangers Forward
17. Shane Wright, Seattle Kraken Forward
18. Max Domi, Toronto Maple Leafs Forward
19. Filip Forsberg, Nashville Predators Forward
20. Andrew Mangiapane, Edmonton Oilers Forward

Standouts:

There are a lot of star players on this board that would instantly become either the best or second-best player on this team. Admittedly, it’s only the star forwards that can make that claim, as the defenceman list is mostly depth pieces.

Regardless, it’s worth taking a look at some of my list’s biggest names that would become the best players in a Detroit Red Wings jersey the second they hit the team.

Artemi Panarin: As much as I believed a few weeks ago, Detroit needed a player who could swing games as much as Panarin could. Seeing how bad this team is without Simon Edvinsson makes me think the team should keep the future in mind. I know the Panthers are leading the charge in terms of interest, but I’m not sure where they stand in terms of assets. For a team looking to hit the nuclear option and rebuild on the fly, Detroit probably has a good slew of assets, but I don’t think they would be too interested in parting ways with most of them.

Robert Thomas: Thomas is certainly what this Red Wings team needs in the short and long term. Amidst Larkin’s ghosting on the ice right now, the team needs someone who can be that number one center, and Thomas has shown he could do that. He’s a natural fit next to Alex DeBrincat as a good playmaking center. He would also be the most expensive name on the board. Given his age and contract, he’s a target for pretty much every team, meaning Detroit would have to cough up some of the most valuable assets for him.

Jason Robertson: I’ve said it before, this is an off-season trade if anything. However, if Dallas knows they won’t be able to get a deal done and they want to maximize value, I could see them trading him now. Detroit, unfortunately, doesn’t have many, if any, pieces that a contending team would want. Detroit has plenty of futures to give up, but nothing that would be worth moving for a team looking to win now.

Elias Pettersson: Of all players on this list, he’s probably the one to be most cautious of. It depends on the trade cost. If Vancouver believes he can be a 90-point player on a team where he has decent surroundings, he’ll be expensive. If Vancouver is looking to move him for what he is now, he’s cheap in terms of assets, and Detroit has the space to take him. It’s a risk, but think about Pierre-Luc Dubois; there have been reclamation projects that have worked recently in the NHL.

Filip Forsberg: Given the news about Barry Trotz, I think Nashville is due to start moving pieces unless they can get into the playoffs by the trade deadline. Forsberg would be the nuclear option to get moved, but I think the Detroit Red Wings can give up a boatload of young assets to get him into Detroit. He’d fit the timeline pretty well and would become Detroit’s best player. I don’t think it’s likely, that’s why it’s so low, but he’s probably the best player on this list.

Top of the List:

I know Red Wings fans might want to see me have the big names highest, but hold on a bit. Detroit still needs to have some focus on the future, and players who aren’t going to fit into one of the Seider or Larkin timelines probably aren’t worth getting.

But more than that, Detroit doesn’t have the kind of assets some of these teams would like, and the price for a lot of these guys isn’t something I’d be comfortable paying. Kasper, Danielson, Sandin-Pellikka, and Edvinsson would all have to be on the table for those guys, as well as first-round picks and Carter Bear. So I think Detroit can still get value with some of these names instead, for a much cheaper cost.

Logan Stanley: Anyone telling you Stanley will fetch a first is simply lying to you. Even Kiefer Sherwood, who might score 30 goals, didn’t get Vancouver a first. Stanley doesn’t play top pair minutes and has only had one season (this one,) above 1 goal. Still, I think Stanley would be a great fit on Detroit’s bottom four, and it wouldn’t cost anything that Detroit isn’t comfortably giving up.