The Detroit Red Wings find themselves sitting at the top of the Atlantic Division with a record of 22-14-3 through 39 games. The Eastern Conference is still a logjam with only 13 points separating the Carolina Hurricanes who claim first and the Columbus Blue Jackets who find themselves at the bottom.
With 43 games left to play, the Red Wings find themselves in the driver's seat to break their nine-year playoff drought. This is a stark contrast from this time last year when the Red Wings found themselves at 13-17-4, second-to-last in the Eastern Conference and had just fired former head coach Derek Lalonde for current head coach Todd McLellan.
Being buyers at the trade deadline is not a market that Steve Yzerman has ever found himself in since becoming the Red Wings’ general manager on Apr. 19, 2019. Many Red Wings fans remember last year’s end-of-season press conferences where captain Dylan Larkin referred to Yzerman’s lack of moves, correlating with the Red Wings’ missing the playoffs, a feeling that Yzerman didn’t agree with.
With where the Red Wings find themselves the team may be giving no choice but for Yzerman to be a buyer when the trade deadline rolls around on Mar. 6, 2026.
The Red Wings have a draft pick in every round in 2026, including two in the seventh then have a pick in every round in 2027 except for the second. The second was used to acquire John Gibson.
Here is a look at five pending unrestricted free agents that could be available at this year's trade deadline:
Mason Marchment
Marchment has already been moved twice in 2025. The first time Marchment was traded was when the Dallas Stars sent Marchment to the Seattle Kraken in June for a 2025 fourth-round pick and a 2026 third-rounder. Then this past month the Kraken shipped Marchment to Columbus for a second-round pick in 2027 and a fourth-round pick in 2026.
A free agent at season's end, Marchment has posted seven goals and nine assists over 31 games. Three of Marchment’s seven goals have come in the two games with the Blue Jackets since the trade. The Blue Jackets find themselves at the bottom of the East and could look to flip Marchment if they find themselves there in March.
In the two prior seasons with the Stars, Marchment posted 53 and 47 points, so this is a player who can bring scoring to a team that has struggled with depth scoring throughout various points of the 2025-26 campaign.
The Red Wings for the most part are a smaller-sized team outside of the 6-foot-8 Elmer Soderblom and 6-foot-6 Michael Rasmussen, so bringing in the 6-foot-5, 212-pound Marchment brings a size and skill element that many teams look for come playoff time.
Over the past three years, Marchment has skated in 49 playoff games with the Stars recording eight goals and eight assists, so this is a player with a wealth of playoff experience.
Alex Tuch
Buffalo was surging into the holiday break, winning eight games in a row. Even with the win streak, the Sabres still find themselves sitting at 19-14-4, fifth in the Atlantic Division. If the Sabres fall out of the playoff picture in the weeks leading up to the deadline, they could look to move Tuch, who could fetch them a strong return.
Through 36 games this season, Tuch has posted 11 goals and 19 assists, second on the Sabres in points. The 29-year-old has been a consistent scorer the past four years posting 71, 79, 59 and 67 points.
Tuch, like Marchment, would bring more size to the Red Wings' lineup, as he is listed at 6-foot-4, 219 pounds.
Forgotten by many is the playoff success Tuch posted through the early years of his career when he was a member of the Vegas Golden Knights. In 66 career playoff games, Tuch recorded 19 goals and 14 assists.
Charlie Coyle
Another Blue Jacket, Coyle has had a strong 2025-26 season to this point after coming over from the Colorado Avalanche in an offseason trade. Through 36 games, Coyle has posted five goals and 17 assists, good for fifth on the Blue Jackets in points.
Coyle can play up and down the lineup, whether it's at center or on the wing, giving the Red Wings versatility if they look to acquire the 33-year-old.
A common theme for the previously listed players, Coyle is another big forward, who comes in at 6-foot-3 and 221 pounds. Coyle would bring a wealth of playoff experience if acquired, having only missed the playoffs in one of his previous 14 seasons.
In 126 career playoff games, Coyle has totalled 26 goals and 27 assists and has been a part of the playoffs in both the Western Conference with the Minnesota Wild and Colorado Avalanche and the Eastern Conference with the Boston Bruins.
Nick Blankenburg
A Michigan native, Blankenburg is in the midst of his second season with the Nashville Predators. The Predators find themselves at 16-17-4 and have threatened to be sellers for most of the 2025-26 season.
In Blankenburg’s first season with Nashville, the defenseman scored four goals and added 12 assists, while this season the 27-year-old has recorded four goals and 11 assists to this point of the campaign.
Blankenburg could help boost the Red Wings’ defensive group to help lock down the sixth defenseman position which has been a revolving door between Jacob Bernard-Docker and Travis Hamonic.
Albert Johansson, Bernard-Docker and Hamonic have combined for a total of six points, so Blankenburg could step in and provide some offensive upside alongside Johansson on the Wings’ third pairing.