With the peak of free agency season now concluded, the Detroit Red Wings still need some reinforcements.
General manager Steve Yzerman did an admirable job of improving the team’s depth and acquiring the best goaltender on the market in John Gibson. However, even Yzerman admitted that Detroit is still looking for a top-line winger and a first or second-pairing defenseman.
Yzerman attempted to fill these holes through free agency, but struck out without being given a real opportunity. Stars like Mitch Marner were basically already signed before free agency started, while others like Nikolaj Ehlers simply refused the mere idea of coming to Detroit.
The only way to make the Red Wings a premier free agency destination again is for the team to begin winning and consistently making the playoffs. To do that, Detroit is banking on their strong prospect system to pay dividends, and the team will likely also need to bring in some high-end talent through trades.
Here are some notable players who are either already available for trade or could become available during the 2025-26 season and would immediately improve the Red Wings.
Jason Robertson
One of the hottest names on the trade market this offseason, Robertson has been linked to several teams, including the Red Wings. The Dallas Stars are still trying to work out a long-term contract extension with Robertson, but the team’s salary cap issues and the star forward’s contract demands make this a situation worth monitoring.
If Robertson officially becomes available, the Red Wings should be one of the first teams to make an offer. The draft picks and prospects Yzerman can package will likely be better than almost any other offer the Stars would receive.
Entering his age-26 season, Robertson is as close to a perfect fit as they come, aligning with Detroit’s timeline and providing the scoring punch needed on the top line with Dylan Larkin and Lucas Raymond. The California native is coming off a 35-goal season and is just two years removed from a 46-goal, 109-point season in 2022-23.
The lone concern with this deal is Robertson not re-signing with the Red Wings, but the risk is still worth the reward if Yzerman has an opportunity to bring him to Detroit.
Bowen Byram
Another hot name on the trade market, the Red Wings have been interested in Byram since last year’s trade deadline, but the defenseman’s price has been growing as the free agency crop has quickly dried up.
Unlike with Robertson, Detroit must seriously consider if a trade for Byram is worth multiple picks and prospects. There is also the drama around the Buffalo Sabres deciding to take Byram to arbitration, which any team trading for him will have to manage.
Since being drafted fourth overall in the 2019 National Hockey League (NHL) Draft by the Colorado Avalanche, Byram has been touted as a potential first-pairing defenseman, though that potential has not quite turned into results yet.
He had a career-high in points last season at 38, a respectable number for any blueliner. However, Byram has defensive deficiencies, so his offense needs to be at a higher level in order for him to truly be a valuable player and make up for the lapses in his own end.
Byram just turned 24, has clear upside, and would instantly improve Detroit’s D-pairings. As has been the case with other players, Byram may also thrive when leaving the dysfunctional Sabres organization. Still, it is unclear if Byram is worth selling the farm for or if this move would actually hinder the Red Wings long-term.
David Pastrňák
Pastrňák is one of the biggest stars in the NHL and him joining the Red Wings would transform the team. He has had at least 34 goals in every season since 2016-17, except the COVID-shortened 2020-21 season. He is coming off four straight seasons of 40-plus goals and three consecutive seasons of 106-plus points.
Considering his stature in hockey, it may be hard to imagine Pasta leaving the Boston Bruins, but most probably said the same thing last year about Brad Marchand.
The reality is that the Bruins are a mess from the front office on down. They made some questionable signings in free agency, like Tanner Jeannot, and now have a weird mix of young players and aging veterans that typically does not lead to a successful season in the NHL.
Amidst all this, they also have arguably the best pure goal scorer currently playing hockey in Pastrňák. Could the Bruins decide to send Pasta elsewhere to bring in a massive trade haul and jumpstart their rebuild? It does not take too much imagination to see that happening.
As with any trade of this magnitude, it would come with risks for the Red Wings. On top of having to unload high draft picks and top prospects, Pastrňák also has an $11.25 million AAV and is signed through 2031. This would be a sizeable commitment to a 29-year-old, but one that is probably still worth it for a team like Detroit that desperately needs goal-scoring and has cap space.
Pastrňák also has a no-move clause, meaning he has to agree to where the Bruins choose to send him. Since he will likely want to go to a contending team, the Red Wings will need to have a strong start to the year to entice Pastrňák to join by the trade deadline.
A lot needs to go Detroit’s way to have any hope of bringing in Pastrňák. Yet, it is not impossible, and at the very least, it is fun to imagine the possibility of Pasta in Hockeytown.
Troy Terry & Mason McTavish
The Red Wings are always linked to players on the Anaheim Ducks because of the teams' frequent trade history over the last couple of years, including the John Gibson, Ville Husso, and Robby Fabbri deals. With the Ducks perhaps having a logjam at forward, the two teams could again become trade partners with Terry or McTavish.
Terry has been loosely linked to the Red Wings for a couple of seasons now. He broke out in 2021-22 with 37 goals, but he has not come close to that number since and had 21 goals last season. It is hard to decipher if Terry’s decline is due to him or his playing on terrible Anaheim teams, so his performance could improve if given a new opportunity in Detroit.
Even if Terry is less of a sure thing than Robertson or Pastrňák, his trade price will be lower, and he is still an upgrade for the Wings’ top lines.
McTavish is a more interesting case. The 22-year-old is currently a restricted free agent but remains unsigned, and there is a growing threat that another team could give him an offer sheet. While the Ducks have the ability to match any offer that comes in, the fact that McTavish is still unsigned perhaps points to him becoming available for the Red Wings.
The third overall pick in the 2021 NHL Draft, McTavish had his best season in 2024-25 with 22 goals and 30 assists.
As with any young player, McTavish is more potential than actual production at this point, and there would likely be some growing pains in Detroit. However, the Wings just need talent added to the roster at this point, and McTavish’s talent is undeniable.
Filip Forsberg (and the entire Nashville Predators roster)
The 2024-25 Predators will be remembered for years to come. They went from the darlings of the offseason, bringing in stars Steven Stamkos and Jonathan Marchessault, to a complete dumpster fire in the regular season and having one of the worst records in the NHL.
It is hard to imagine the 2025-26 season going any worse for the Preds, but if it does, they are an intriguing trade partner for the Red Wings.
Most of their talent is aging and expensive. Along with Stamkos (35) and Marchessault (35), Ryan O’Reilly (34) and Roman Josi (35) are in their mid-30s and making between $4.5 million to $9.059 million AAV. However, any of these four players would upgrade the Red Wings, especially if Nashville retained some of the salary in a potential deal.
Easily the most exciting potential trade target in Nashville, Filip Forsberg is one of the more underrated stars in the NHL. He had 48 goals and 94 points in 2023-24 and, despite all the chaos in Nashville last season, still scored 31 goals in 2024-25.
This season will be Forsberg’s age-31 season, and he immediately fills Detroit’s scoring deficiencies on their top forward lines. His $8.5 million AAV through 2030 is expensive, but palatable for a player of his caliber.
Forsberg appears to love it in Nashville, so there are not many trade rumors around him at this time. Although if the Predators have another catastrophic season, the Red Wings may have the chance to bring in Forsberg or any other player on the Preds. Their early-season performance will be worth monitoring for Detroit fans.
More from Octopus Thrower