The Detroit Red Wings head into the NHL Draft without much to do on its first night, and that's a direct result of the Justin Faulk trade with the St. Louis Blues back in March. In the deal, they sent them a first-round pick that ended up becoming the 15th overall pick, leaving Steve Yzerman in a precarious position without a selection in the first round.
If the Red Wings want to change that, they're probably going to have to get creative. And right now, the most obvious way to do it involves Dylan Larkin.
Yzerman will need to include Larkin to land first-round pick
The most obvious destination to land them a first-round pick would be a trade with the Florida Panthers. They hold the ninth overall pick, which Yzerman could then flip for a higher pick in the draft to try and land Swedish forward Viggo Björck.
Now, that said, the Panthers would be able to offer the best trade package of the three teams that he would reportedly agree to go to. Which is why a trade with the Panthers to land a few NHL-level players and the ninth overall pick makes the most sense.
If they could find a way to land Björck in the 2026 NHL Draft, he would be an ideal fit within their top six. Especially after trading their captain, he could be a very good replacement in terms of point production.
In terms of what Björck brings to a lineup, he is one of, if not the fastest skater in the entire draft. He uses his offensive awareness, vision, and skill to deliver passes to his teammates. He also isn’t afraid to shoot the puck, which would fit well with Lucas Raymond.
The Detroit Red Wings could turn Dylan Larkin in a major draft win
Unfortunately, it would be incredibly hard to land Björck without including Larkin in the trade. Which makes it difficult because if Larkin doesn’t approve the trade, it’s very unlikely that they would be able to land him. Unless they opt to trade someone else, like Axel Sandin-Pellikka, and add to the package to land a top-five to top-10 pick.
Nevertheless, for Yzerman to acquire a first-round pick and land a high-end prospect like Björck, he will need to get very creative.
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