Bleacher Report’s Adam Gretz posted “cheat sheet” for every NHL team ahead of the trade deadline on Friday at 3 PM EST…
Detroit Red Wings:
Buyers or sellers: Buyers
Salary cap situation: $13 million in salary deadline salary cap space
Best trade assets: All future first-round picks, multiple 2025 third-round picks
Untouchables: Forward Lucas Raymond, defenseman Moritz Seider, defenseman Simon Edvinsson, forward Dylan Larkin
What they need: The Red Wings power play has driven them back into a playoff position, but there is definitely a smoke and mirror element to their recent success. Their 5-on-5 play remains poor and their defense after Seider and Edvinsson is full of holes. That is the area to address ahead of the deadline if the Red Wings are going to make a serious push to end their eight-year playoff drought. It is within reach, but they still need a little bit of help to make the playoffs. They need a lot of help to contend for the Stanley Cup.
And The Athletic’s Shayna Goldman did something quite similar:
Detroit Red Wings: It’s important to remember how much the Red Wings have improved on both ends of the ice since Todd McLellan took over as head coach. Their dreadful start weighed down many of their core players, and it helps explain how few checkmarks there are in Detroit and how little black and gold highlights its checklist.
Marco Kasper’s numbers aren’t a concern, considering his fit on the top line with Lucas Raymond and Dylan Larkin. However, veterans Patrick Kane and Vladimir Tarasenko have fallen short of their projected values. So there is room to add up front. The most obvious spot is at 3C to replace Andrew Copp, but there may be an internal option in Michael Rasmussen when he returns from injury. That could allow management to focus on the wing and maybe the most pressing area: on defense. With one of the more challenging schedules ahead, the Red Wings may want to invest in extra help.
