The Athletic considers seven destinations for Matthew Tkachuk, including Detroit

The Athletic’s Hailey Salivan and Sean Gentille wonder aloud whether Matthew Tkachuk might accept a trade out of Calgary, and they include the Red Wings as one of seven potential destinations for Tkachuk, should the salary arbitration-bound forward truly want to leave the Stampede City:

Detroit Red Wings

Cap space: $10.3 million
Wheeler’s 2022 prospect pool ranking: No. 7

The Red Wings are in a good spot; they have the cap space and roster construction (22 out of 23 spots filled) that would allow them to accommodate Tkachuk immediately, and a prospect pool more than good enough to net him in the first place. They’re short on established, young NHL players with remaining years of team control — that they’d be interested in trading, at least.

The most interesting, realistic package from Detroit? A win-now player like Tyler Bertuzzi (2023 UFA, $4.75 million AAV) or Jakub Vrana (UFA 2024, $5.25 million AAV), younger pros like defenseman Filip Hronek (RFA 2024, $4.4 million) or Filip Zadina (22 years old, RFA) and some combo of picks and prospects other than Simon Edvinsson and 2022 No. 8 overall pick Marco Kasper.

There’s no shortage of options there for Calgary. The issue — and it’s a big one — is whether Tkachuk would have any interest in signing a long-term deal with Detroit. Age-wise, he fits, especially given the moves GM Steve Yzerman just made. A team with Andrew Copp, David Perron and Ben Chiarot is no longer just rebuilding, and the rest of the team’s core — led by 2023 UFA Dylan Larkin, Calder Trophy winner Moritz Seider and top rookie forward Lucas Raymond — is ready to turn the corner.

Detroit probably isn’t in the same tier as perceived front-runners like St. Louis – and frankly, it’s easy to argue that they should be. Why wouldn’t Tkachuk want to, say, replace Bertuzzi on a line with Larkin and Raymond, on a roster as balanced as the one Yzerman has built? He’d be familiar with the area with his experience in the U.S. National Team Development Program – now based in Plymouth, Mich. And he’d be the biggest star on the Detroit Red Wings. Something to keep in mind.

Continued (paywall); I would argue that the Wings are in fact still rebuilding, and that the price for the 24-year-old Tkachuk is only reasonable should Tyler Bertuzzi’s vaccination status resolve itself in some manner.