Should the Red Wings trade for Jamie Oleksiak?

A deeper dive into a potential Detroit defenseman

It’s the offseason, which, of course, means that everyone has their idea of what the Red Wings need in order to make the playoffs. Some have suggested an additional top-six forward. Others believe a top-four defenseman will finally fix this. The most realistic of fans, of course, believe that the team should empty the prospect pool for a bunch of above-average guys.

I tend to fall in the second camp. The Wings have quite a few forwards in the prospect pool that are ready for the big leagues. Nate Danielson nearly made the roster at 18 years of age. Carter Mazur would’ve been a full-time Wing without his season-ending injury. Opportunity is there for those who seek it.

Things are a little different on the blue line, however. Axel Sandin-Pellikka could make the lineup, sure, but who’s his left-side partner? Erik Gustafsson? Ben Chiarot? What if - and hear me out on this one - we find a better solution somewhere else?

Let me introduce you to a guy who goes by the name of Jamie Oleksiak.

In which I desperately try to figure out Substack’s cropping issues

First: Who the heck is Jamie Oleksiak?

Remember the time the Red Wings drafted a bunch of big, tall guys and only one of them kind of panned out? Jamie Oleksiak is likely the archetype Ken Holland was looking at from a defensive perspective. Standing at 6 foot 7, Oleksiak is one of the tallest players in the NHL — and boy does he play like it. Oleksiak uses his colossal frame to clog passing lanes, imposing his will upon his opponents with bone-crushing hits.

Just one more big, slow defenseman bro I promise bro the team will be better by then

Oleksiak is 32 years old and has one year left on his deal at $4.5M per year. Last season, he managed 17 points across 82 games. While this might not seem like a whole lot, it’s important to note that this was Oleksiak’s second-highest point total (his high of 25 points came in 2022-23) and the Seattle Kraken had a putrid -18 goal differential.

To put things into perspective, Oleksiak would’ve been 14th in points and the 4th highest-scoring defenseman on the roster. Whether that says more about Oleksiak or Detroit’s lack of depth is up to you. But, rather than hit you with surface-level analysis, let’s look a little further into what he brings to the table:

A deeper dive into defense

Oleksiak spent the majority of last season alongside line mate Brandon Montour, occasionally working shifts with Adam Larsson, as well. He played the third-toughest minutes out of the Kraken’s defensive corps last season, starting the vast majority of his shifts in the defensive end. Our friends at Left Wing Lock have prepared this fun chart to show where (and how) Oleksiak was deployed last season:

Table and data courtesy of Left Wing Lock

Per MoneyPuck, Oleksiak led the Kraken in blocked shots and had the second-highest number of takeaways among defensemen. He started 56% of his shifts on-the-fly during the 2024-25 season. The Kraken value him for his adaptability and physicality. Last season, Oleksiak landed 74 hits. If he were on the Red Wings, he would’ve been eighth on the roster.

While he’s a few years removed from his elite output with the Dallas Stars, he’s still got some gas left in the tank. If given the right opportunity, Oleksiak could thrive in a depth role with Detroit. Let’s talk a little bit about that!

What Oleksiak could bring to the Wings

Imagine a world where Moritz Seider and Simon Edvinsson didn’t have to take on the lion’s share of the defensive responsibilities. What could alleviating some of that burden do for their offensive output? Could it help the team take a breather when the first-rounders are off the ice? Oleksiak provides just that boon.

Think about it this way: Moritz Seider and Ben Chiarot are 6’3”. Simon Edvinsson is 6’5”. Throwing in a 6’7” colossus like Oleksiak makes this top-four one of the tallest in the NHL.

The rest of the NHL vs. the Red Wings’ blue line

While his stats might not necessarily jump off the page, flashiness isn’t the goal with defense. (One of Detroit’s division rivals will quickly learn this next season!) Think of Oleksiak as a stabilizing presence on the blue line rather than a legit game-changer. The Wings already have their top dogs, why not get one that makes their lives easier?

The cost

Having said that, it’s not every day a left-shot second-pairing guy becomes available. The Kraken are a stone’s throw away from a long rebuild. They’re already thinking of trading their top center in James McCann, and, if they want to move Oleksiak, they’ve got plenty of bargaining power. If I had to guess what the return would be, it’d likely come in the form of one of Shai Buium or Antti Tuomisto.

Before you come at me with pitchforks and torches, we’re in a seller’s market right now. The biggest names in free agency, like Sam Bennett and Aaron Ekblad, re-signed with their respective organizations. Vladislav Gavrikov was the most notable name that found a new home. If Steve Yzerman is serious about making a playoff push, Oleksiak is one of the better defenseman potentially available to the organization.