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Red Wings Labeled 'Too Perfect' Fit for Veteran Penguins Forward

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Antonio Losada | Last updated Jul 8, 2025 9:24 AM ET

The Detroit Red Wings' long playoff drought could push general manager Steve Yzerman to explore aggressive trade options during the offseason in a desperate attempt to crack the playoffs next season.

With most top-tier free agents already signed to contract extensions or new deals elsewhere, the only viable path forward to add talent for the remainder of the offseason is via trade.

According to Pittsburgh Hockey Now's Dan Kingerski, Pittsburgh Penguins winger Rickard Rakell could have a nice landing spot in Detroit, claiming a Rakell-Red Wings fit "seems too perfect."

“Detroit general manager Steve Yzerman was frank regarding his team’s needs: An impact top-six forward and a top-four defenseman,” Kingerski wrote. “Rakell would make a perfect complement to either Dylan Larkin or sophomore center Marco Kasper."

“Perhaps no other team has more urgency or even necessity to get a deal done.”

Penguins Trade Talk: 3 Landing Spots for Rickard Rakell https://t.co/ZzixVZLpgv
— Pittsburgh Hockey Now (@pghhockeyNOW) July 6, 2025

Rakell is coming off a 70-point season with 35 goals. The 32-year-old winger can also play at the center position and has three years left on his deal, carrying an annual cap hit of $5 million per season.

As reported by The Athletic's Josh Yohe, Pittsburgh is open to moving either Rakell or Bryan Rust, as general manager Kyle Dubas looks to reshape the roster and stockpile assets.

“If the 2025–26 season begins with both (Bryan) Rust and Rakell on the Penguins’ top line, the organization wouldn’t see that as a failure,” Josh Yohe wrote. “However, league sources say they expect at least one of the wingers to be dealt this summer.”

The Red Wings still have $12 million in cap space, along with all of their picks for the next three drafts except for a second-rounder in 2027, as well as prospects to make a trade happen.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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