Red Wings 2025 trade deadline: Buy, sell, or stand pat?

The Red Wings collapsed in March? Again? This is a scheduled post

There’s something to be said about consistency.

District Detroit is celebrating its 11th year as an empty lot, Lafeyette Coney Island was shut down again for rat infestations, and the Detroit Red Wings are collapsing right before the trade deadline. You might not like it, but hey, at least things are consistent here.

$1.5B in tax dollars, 11 years, and this is what we’ve got.

Here we are again. Over the past few years, the Red Wings have constructed a really impressive formula: win a few games, muster up some hope, then fall apart right before the trade deadline. Whether it’s against the Ottawa Senators or Carolina Hurricanes, the team has a remarkable way of snatching defeat from the jaws of victory when it matters most.

So what do we do? Where do we go from here? In the past, general manager Steve Yzerman has sold off everyone from Tyler Bertuzzi to Filip Hronek, snatching up as many assets as he can for the draft and the team’s future. Are we poised to see more of the same this season? Are we going to see another fire sale? Or is this the year they finally break ground on District Detroit?

I guess there’s nothing else to do but explore each hypothetical reality.

The most likely path: Sell, sell, sell

In this scenario, Yzerman realizes the Derek Lalonde firing came a little too late to make the playoffs and decides to sell what he can and punt till next year.

It goes without saying that the Vladimir Tarasenko experiment has not worked out. With eight goals and just 24 points in 59 games, the 33-year-old forward doesn’t look like himself. Having said that, anyone that’s watched him this season knows he’s still got some gas in the tank — he just isn’t working with Detroit’s system. These sorts of things happen from time to time. (Real ones remember Tomas Jurco.) It’s not a knock on the Red Wings, nor is it a knock on Tarasenko. Sometimes, you’re just not compatible.

Credit to Ryan Hana on Twitter

So what do you do when things aren’t working? Well, the only thing you really can do: send him off and wish him well. The good news is, it looks like this trade deadline is a seller’s market. The Chicago Blackhawks somehow managed to get a top goaltending prospect and a first round pick in their Seth Jones trade. Gustav Nyquist, who has just 21 points this season, secured a second round pick. There’s got to be something you can get for Tarasenko. At best, you’ll get a second round pick with some salary retention. At worst…you’re looking at maybe a third. Not ideal, but, hey, it could be worse.

Is the Kane Train leaving the station?

If the Wings want to enact a full-blown fire sale, Patrick Kane might catch a few eyes throughout the league. At just $4M/year, the flashy forward has 38 points in 51 games and can absolutely still cut it in a top-six role. But where could Kane go? And what sort of price would a team be willing to pay? If Kane is willing to waive his no trade clause to go to a contender, and I’m Steve Yzerman, I know exactly who I’m targeting: the Minnesota Wild.

Save for the Florida Panthers, the Wild are the team best set up for long-term success. From team-friendly deals like Matt Boldy’s contract to an absolutely loaded cabinet of prospects, they’ve got plenty of opportunity to make a playoff push. But, with that said, they have yet to address the elephant in the room: their -2 goal differential. Sure, they traded for Gustav Nyquist, but he’s a depth guy, not a difference-maker.

The Wild have shown they’re trying to address their scoring deficit. Kane might just be the answer. If the Wild do decide to pursue Kane, and Kane waives his no trade clause, the Red Wings might just walk away with a first round pick in this year’s draft. Other names like Ryan O’Rourke and Liam Ohgren could offer intriguing options, as well.

There’s a lot to work with here — but is it the right path at this stage of the rebuild?

Maybe it’s time: Become a buyer

What if Yzerman decided to show the locker room that he believes in them by getting the team some help? Yes, it’s a seller’s market. Yes, head coach Todd McLellan said fans shouldn’t think the cavalry is coming. But, sooner or later, there needs to be some sense of progress. The fans are growing increasingly impatient. (A few even think Yzerman should go!). Is it finally time to make a splash — even if it’s a small one?

Well, the logic behind buying depends entirely on how you view the team — and how much of a difference a few deals would make. First, let’s get this out of the way: the Wings shouldn’t look at someone like Brock Boeser or Brock Nelson. These two forwards, ranked #1 and 2 on TSN’s Trade Bait Board, would absolutely be difference-makers, but their asking price and pending UFA status are massive red flags.

So, if they’re going to be buyers, what should they look for? One word: term.

The Wings are positively depleted at center. Andrew Copp is out for the season. Michael Rasmussen suffered a concussion from an incredibly questionable hit by Trevor Zegras. The need for a solid center is more prevalent than ever. Ryan O’Reilly might be just what the Red Wings need to take this team to the next level.

Image source: NHL.com

For those unfamiliar, O’Reilly is a Selke-winning two-way center with a Stanley Cup and Conn Smythe to his name. In 82 games with the Nashville Predators last season, O’Reilly put up 69 points. This year, the wheels have fallen off the wagon for the Preds, and the team is looking to sell whatever they can. O’Reilly still has two years left on his deal, and at 34 years of age, he’s shown he’s still got some gas in the tank.

We need to be realistic here, though: O’Reilly isn’t going to suddenly turn this team into a contender. As it stands, he’d serve as a stopgap for the long-term 2C of the future. He plays the smart, two-way brand of hockey the Wings love and plenty of playoff experience under his belt. On top of it all, he’s one of the only guys on the Preds who seems to give it his all every game, much like one Dylan Larkin.

Unfortunately, O’Reilly won’t come cheap. His talent and term will make him a hot commodity this trade deadline. If the Wings really want to score O’Reilly, you’re looking at a high draft pick and a young player — likely Jonatan Berggren. As much as the kid’s shown potential, he needs more minutes to truly thrive in the NHL, and there’s no guarantee he’ll find those in Detroit. A second round pick and Berggren or even Albert Johansson will likely be the price tag for O’Reilly.

Honorable mention: 5v5 scoring depth

Ryan Donato could be a great fit for the Wings as well. With 18 5v5 goals this season, he’d help to solve one of Detroit’s biggest needs at even strength scoring. With that said, Donato is the type of player that the team shouldn’t get caught in a trading war to acquire. He’d solve the team’s need at center, but is a pending UFA forward really worth a second round pick at this point in the rebuild? What do you think?

The Do Nothing doctrine

Last, but not least, we enter the Lou Lamoriello Special: standing pat. What happens if the Red Wings do nothing — or next to nothing? In this scenario, Yzerman realizes that the team just doesn’t have what it takes to make a deep playoff push, but he doesn’t see the value in abandoning ship, either. I like to call this Team Purgatory. You’re too bad to contend, but too good to rebuild. This team is dangerously close to becoming the St. Louis Blues. Is inaction truly the best action?

In this scenario, Detroit trades a player like Erik Gustafsson to a contender for a late round pick and maybe takes on some salary for a middling draft pick. The team’s needs are left unaddressed and the roster is left to either push for the playoffs or throw away another season. This, of course, would be one of the worst case scenarios for the team: but that doesn’t mean there isn’t some sort of silver lining.

What if doing nothing is good, actually?

Today, the Red Wings called up Carter Mazur. The fun-filled forward has 15 points in 20 games with the Grand Rapids Griffins, and he looks as ready as ever for an NHL role. If he’s able to secure a full-time spot on the roster, it begs the question of who else could make the push. Nate Danielson looks ready to take the reins next season. Axel Sandin-Pellikka is breaking records like crazy in the SHL. Could the team put their trust in the youth movement and still make a push for the playoffs?

Maybe this is finally the year the Wings decide to call up the prospects and let them cook. Maybe we actually will see the Illitch family break ground on District Detroit. Or, more realistically, maybe this is just wishful thinking.

What do you think? Should the Red Wings buy, sell, or stay?