Red Wings' 2024 Offseason Trade Board – Hockey Writers –

Since taking over as general manager of the Detroit Red Wings, Steve Yzerman has been active in the trade market during the offseason. Alex DeBrincat talks about the title on his list of summer acquisitions – there were Marc Staal, Alex Nedeljkovic, Nick Leddy, Ville Husso, and Jeff Petry as well.

Yzerman will return to the trade market this summer to develop. Before he does, let's get into the organization's needs, potential trade partners, goals, and what the Red Wings have to offer.

Assessing Detroit's Program Needs

We've already found out what types of players the Red Wings should pursue this offseason. But when it comes to the trade market, there are two needs that should be prioritized over others: a top six pick and a starting goaltender. A top-four right defense and depth forward could be dealt in free agency.

Looking at this year's crop of free agents, there are a top 10 and a top six. And if you remove the potential re-signers (Steven Stamkos, Sam Reinhart, Joe Pavelski) and centers (Elias Lindholm), you're left with six players. That's not much, especially if the majority of the league is going to follow these leads. And given this low offer for the top six players, the contracts the players sign will likely be more expensive than expected.

It's the same story with the goaltenders – there are literally starting netminders not on the free agent market this summer. There are a few who can team up with Ville Husso or beat Husso and Alex Lyon, but no one can truly take over.

Given the low supply and high demand for these two roles, the Red Wings need to look elsewhere for solutions. The commercial market presents such an opportunity.

Related: Contract Projections for Red Wings' 2024 RFAs

Detroit can (and should) create cap space through trades as well. Shedding salary before free agency is another priority for the Red Wings.

Potential Trade Partners for the Red Wings

Which teams should Detroit target for a trade? The list below shows potential trade partners, with groups sorted by similar themes:

• Past Connections – Anaheim Ducks, Pittsburgh Penguins, St. Louis Blues, Tampa Bay Lightning, Vancouver Canucks.
• Teams Needing Change – Calgary Flames, Minnesota Wild, Ottawa Senators, Pittsburgh Penguins, St. Louis Blues.
• Salary Cap Issues – Carolina Hurricanes, Tampa Bay Lightning, Vegas Golden Knights.
• Rebuilding/Salary Cap Floor – Chicago Blackhawks, San Jose Sharks.

Before I go any further, I want to give a shout out Past Communications theme as others describe it.

Relationships are important. It's hard to accomplish anything if you don't have a good relationship with the people you work with (or try to make a deal with).

When you first look at St. Louis Blues, Yzerman and Doug Armstrong have connected in five trades since the former joined the Red Wings. That's more than any other franchise at the time. Clearly, Yzerman and Armstrong have a good relationship and a tendency to look for win-win situations.

A similar case can be made for Yzerman and Pat Verbeek. They worked together from 2006 to 2022 – first in Detroit, then with the Tampa Bay Lightning, and finally, back in Detroit until Verbeek was hired to become the Anaheim Ducks' GM.

There are a few notable interactions at the player level, too. Vancouver Canucks hockey president Jim Rutherford won two Stanley Cups in Pittsburgh with Olli Määttä. The Canucks have three NHL blueliners signed through the 2024-25 season, along with Red Wing Filip Hronek, an RFA. Määttä could be a salary target – Rutherford should be one of the calls Yzerman makes if he decides to release a defenseman.

By the same token, current Penguins GM Kyle Dubas had Justin Holl in Toronto for several years, and Pittsburgh needed a defensive defenseman to play behind Kris Letang and Erik Karlsson on the right side.

Detroit Board of Trade

Based on the organizational needs of the Red Wings and the teams identified above, here is my trade board for the 2024 offseason, with potential costs and total value included in the rankings.

Top Six:

1. Pavel Buchnevich
2. Egor Sharangovich
3. Martin Necas
4. Anthony Cirelli
5. Trevor Zegras

Goalkeepers:

1. Filip Gustavsson
2. John Gibson
3. Jacob Markstrom

Cap Space:

1. San Jose – Justin Holl, Robby Fabbri
2. Pittsburgh – Justin Holl
3. Chicago/Anaheim – Robby Fabbri
4. Vancouver/Calgary – Olli Määttä

Consolidated Board of Trade:

1. LW Pavel Buchnevich
2. LW/C Yegor Sharangovich
3. Cap Space
4. RW/C Martin Necas
5. G Filip Gustavsson
6. C Anthony Cirelli
7. LD Jacob Chychrun
8. C Marco Rossi
9. G John Gibson
10. LW Reilly Smith
11. RD Rasmus Andersson
12. LD Cam Fowler
13. LW Tanner Jeannot
14. RW/C Trevor Zegras
15. G Jacob Markstrom

I've made the case for Buchnevich before – his versatility, size, and offensive prowess are exactly what the Red Wings need in their top six. The same goes for Yegor Sharangovich, who may be the next Buchnevich.