The Hockey News’s Mike Augello suggests that the Detroit Red Wings need what everybody else thinks they need to add by the 2025 trade deadline on March 7th at 3 PM–a top-six forward and a “depth defenseman” (who might want to be a right-shooting defender):
Detroit Red Wings
Main Need: Top-Six Forward
The Wings’ 2.86 goals-for per game rank them 19th in the NHL. Their main issue is scoring depth since four players – Lucas Raymond, Dylan Larkin, Alex DeBrincat and Patrick Kane – account for more than half of their 157 goals. Free agent signing Vladimir Tarasenko hasn’t provided enough secondary scoring, which is why his name has popped up in trade rumors.
GM Steve Yzerman may have to give up a future asset to boost their production instead of hoping Tarasenko can turn it around and youngsters Jonatan Berggren and Marco Jasper can break out.
Secondary Need: Defensive Depth
Detroit’s goalies have done enough to win games under McLellan. Cam Talbot is 10-3-0 with a 2.91 goals-against average since Dec. 26, while Alex Lyon is 5-1-1 with a 2.18 GAA in that span. But the Red Wings’ blueline could use some bolstering for a potential playoff run.
The Wings have an excellent top-pairing defender in Moritz Seider, a solid youngster in Simon Edvinsson and veterans in Ben Chiarot and Jeff Petry. But bottom-pairing options, such as Erik Gustafsson and Justin Holl, are not dependable.
Continued; In all honesty, Gustafsson and Holl have gotten a lot better under coach McLellan. I have few complaints about their play of late. A reinforcement would help, but again, I’m not of the mind that the Red Wings should expend draft picks or prospects for someone who is not a part of the long-term solution.
Rentals are not needed at this point.
