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Mitch Marner, Toronto Maple Leafs (Mandatory Credit: John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images)

Red Wings Need to Be Aggressive In Trade Market

Originally posted on The Hockey Writers | By Tony Wolak | Last updated Jun 3, 2025 8:35 AM ET

Above all else, the Detroit Red Wings need more top-of-the-lineup players this offseason. Unfortunately, though, there aren’t many of those available in this year’s free agent class.

The trade market could prove to be more fruitful, though. Teams are expected to make tweaks to their rosters this offseason – after all, 31 teams were not good enough to win the Stanley Cup.

This is where the Red Wings should be aggressive this offseason. Here’s why.

Red Wings’ Options In Free Agency

I touched on this above, but there really aren’t many elite players hitting free agency this summer. Mitch Marner obviously headlines the class, but beyond him, there are only a few players who meet the criteria:

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Defense

In addition, the Winnipeg Jets and Dallas Stars are expected to prioritize re-signing Ehlers and Duchene, respectively.

There are others like John Tavares, Mikael Granlund, Jonathan Marchessault, and Brock Nelson who are effective players in their own right, but better suited for middle-six roles. Or, at least, are best-slotted there on strong teams.

That leaves Marner, Bennett, Marchand, Boeser, Gavrikov, Ekblad, and Provorov as Detroit’s main top-of-the-lineup options. Well, not just Detroit’s – everyone’s top-of-the-lineup options.

All 32 teams stand to benefit from the rising salary cap. Plus, most teams will want to improve their rosters this summer – there are very few teams (if any) committed to tanking in 2025-26. Given this, we’re looking at a low-supply, high-demand marketplace for elite free agents. And in this kind of environment where lots of teams with cap space are bidding on the same few players, prices are expected to be very high.

Should the Red Wings overpay for any of these players? Cases can be made, sure, but is overpaying now the best thing for the franchise long term?

This is where the trade market comes into play.

Red Wings’ Options Via Trade

Several players have been mentioned as potential trade chips this summer, and more than a handful could help the Red Wings accomplish their roster management goals.

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Defense

Note that these are the players whose names are out there. There are likely others on the trade block that haven’t been reported on yet.

In addition to the players above, there’s also Chris Kreider, Connor Murphy, Adam Pelech, and Ryan Pulock. These players could be dealt as well, but align better with the Tavares/Granlund/Nelson cohort I noted above.

Nicolas Hague, Vegas Golden Knights (Amy Irvin / The Hockey Writers)

One thing about the trade market that’s a little different from free agency is that it’s not exactly a free market economy. GMs having relationships with other GMs matters. Think about how many times Steve Yzerman has linked up with Doug Armstrong, Ken Holland, JulienBriseBois, and Pat Verbeek on trades.

Plus, organizational needs have to align. A team can have assets that another wants, and others may not have comparable assets.

And, generally speaking, players on the trade block are younger than free agents. This is especially the case with skaters like Peterka, Rossi, Byram, Romanov, Dobson, and Hague, who are RFAs and due for hefty raises that their respective teams might not be comfortable doling out.

Red Wings Should Prioritize Trades

Given the shallow free agent class and the players reportedly on the trade block, the Red Wings should make every attempt to address organizational needs through trades. They have low-cost trade chips in Michael Rasmussen and Jonatan Berggren, plus a deep prospect pool to deal from. Trades should be the priority now that we’ve reached June.

If Detroit can address a couple of their needs prior to free agency, then there will be less pressure to overpay for one of the few elite talents hitting the market. It will cost them players, prospects, and/or draft picks to do so, but that’s the reality of where the organization stands, what they need to get over the hump, and the players that are available. After all, the Florida Panthers have made several high-profile trades to get where they are – why not the Red Wings, too?