Detroit Red Wings, Montréal Canadiens are possible trade partners

The Detroit Red Wings are putting out fires. Most of the fires are ones they created themselves; it’s hard to keep track. A person could get delirious attempting to keep tabs. 

From the Minnesota Wild organization and its fans’ entitlement to Dylan Larkin, to the countless teams reportedly checking in on the asking price of Simon Edvinsson, things get confusing very quickly. Recently, the Red Wings have been fielding a lot of calls from outside teams.

One of the teams looking to make a splash is a division rival out of Canada. The Montréal Canadiens have been on a steady upswing and looking to pick up steam as they prepare for a playoff hunt in the gauntlet that is the Atlantic Division. While their team is well-balanced, there’s always room for improvement. 

Red Wings are closely monitoring the Montréal Canadiens

Per Marco D’Amico, a co-host of The Starr & D’Amico Show and hockey journalist out of Montréal, has emphasized the uptick in the Red Wings recent interest in the Montréal Canadiens:

While other teams could be of interest to the Wings, it seems they haven’t scouted another team quite as frequently (at least recently) as the Canadiens. 

It makes sense. Montréal is very interested in adding a top-six center. Of all the players available for trade, few are centers. Even fewer are reasonable top-six centers. 

The Athletic’s trade board lists Larkin first (and Edvinsson second, but Montréal seems pretty set at left-handed defense).

For all the shenanigans and memes about Larkin, from his lack of backbone and commitment to dives and lack of elite skills, he is still a viable second line center (especially if a team’s first line center is Nick Suzuki). As a one-two-punch, Suzuki and Larkin could give any team a good run for its money. If people don’t agree, they haven’t watched Larkin enough, as even when he’s only going at 75-80%, he’s still better than most centers in the league.

When he has a reason to get his stuff in gear, Larkin is a quick center who loves to drive the net. On top of it, he has a decent shot and playmaking abilities, even if they aren’t his bread and butter.

Right now, the Canadiens are not included on Larkin’s trade list. If Montréal was, it would be reasonable to assume the trade would have happened already. The Habs are one of the few teams with the specific assets that the Wings are looking for: young established NHLers, or just about to be in The Show prospects. 

The Red Wings are adamant that they aren’t looking for futures (even if it’s just acquiring futures to go out and trade for another big fish). They want a simple transaction with one or two teams, and to get their guys immediately. 

In a world full of uncertainty, having boundaries like the Wings have can be helpful (or detrimental, depending on circumstance).

Who the Red Wings may target

Off the trade table, of course, are Nick Suzuki, Cole Caufield, Juraj Slafkovský, Ivan Demidov, Noah Dobson, Lane Hutson and Kaiden Guhle.

Detroit’s so deep in net, at least in the prospect pipeline and with the positive showing from Michal Postava recently, that a goalie likely doesn’t intrigue them. Of course, one game is one game, and the Wings have been burned so many times in the past, but it's unlikely they target Jacob Fowler or Jakub Dobes.

Instead, it seems that Adam Engström may be drawing interest. Born on November 17, 2003, the 22-year old is a left handed shooting Swedish defenseman. Engström stands 6’2” tall and weighs in at 190 lbs.

He rose through the ranks of Djurgårdens IF, making it to the Swedish Hockey League (SHL) level in 2021-22, then shifted to Rögle BK the following season where he played with their J20 team and their SHL club. At the time, Rögle BK also iced William Wallinder and Marco Kasper. 

While keeping tabs on Wallinder and scouting Kasper for the same 2022 draft year, it’s likely to assume Engstrom is at least familiar to Detroit -- if not someone that’s been on the Red Wings’ radar ever since.

It’s possible that Montréal is offering Engström. It's not that Engström is a lackluster player. It's that the Habs have a stacked defensive group (especially on the left side).

Engrström hasn’t quite found his footing with the Habs, as he’s played mainly with the Laval Rocket of the American Hockey League (AHL). While it’s fair to state that the Canadiens overall defense on the left side is more robust than the Wings, it’s could be concerning that a possible centerpiece surrounds a defenseman who has yet to play 30 games in the NHL. 

It should be noted that in the AHL, Engström has been effective. Per his Elite Prospects page:

Engrstöm seems like a prime candidate for a player to request a trade out of an NHL club, a change of scenery-type of situation where he has access to more playing time. However, he would have to be a background piece if Montréal is looking to acquire Larkin.

If the Canadiens are looking for someone else, word on the street is that Michael Rasmussen and Andrew Copp might be available for trade, then a player like Engström as a swap would make a lot more sense. (Please note that Copp has a 10 team no trade list). It’s possible that the Canadian teams are on this list. Yet, Montréal is a popular market amongst some American-born NHLers.

Copp is in the final year of his contract with a AAV of $5.625 million. Rasmussen has two years left at $3.2 million per season.

The problem with these two Red Wings is that Detroit is slim on their centers with J.T. Compher just coming back from injury and Kasper still out. If the Wings lose either Rasmussen or Copp, their center depth and penalty kill would look even worse (an impressive feat, as neither look great now).

Outside of Engström, the Wings have been allegedly linked to Oliver Kapanen -- someone I was quite interested in during his draft year. 

What Oliver Kapanen might bring to the Wings

Born July 29, 2003, Kapanen was born in Sundsvall, Sweden (Henrik Zetterberg’s hometown) but Kapanen identifies as Finnish. A right-handed shooting center with a 6’1” and 194 lbs. fame is certainly intriguing. Kapanen’s EliteProspects 2021 NHL Draft Guide:

“Kapanen’s game is all about his instincts in the offensive zone combined with lethal finishing skills from close and mid-range. He recognizes space well and takes advantage of even the slightest mistakes by opposing defences. He has some gravitational elements as a playmaker, being able to draw in pressure before dishing the puck to an open teammate.”

Kapanen rose through the ranks of KalPa in Finland where he made Liiga (the highest hockey league in Finland) during the 2020-21 season where he played five games.

Affer getting drafted in 2021 in the second round at 64th overall, Kapanen continued to develop in Finland. From there, Kapanen played in a few places in 2024-25, splitting time between the Canadiens and Timrå IK in the SHL and the Laval Rocket in the AHL. In addition, he played internationally for Team Finland. 

Kapanen found success in the SHL, scoring 15 times and earning 20 assists for a total of 35 points in 36 games with only 12 penalty minutes and a +3 rating. Between the other three leagues, Kapanen recorded one gaol and two assists for a total of three points in 24 games played with six penalty minutes and -6 rating.

Playoffs were a bit different. 

As far as playoffs are concerned, he saw 20 games across the three leagues where he scored five times (twice in the SHL and three times in the AHL), assisted on five goals (one assist in the NHL, another in the SHL, and six in the AHL). Throughout the playoffs, he was even with Montréal and a -5 between Timrå IK and Laval.

Last season, Kapanen played all 82 games with the Canadiens where he scored 22 times and assisted 15 times for a total of 37 points with 22 penalty minutes and a +4 rating. This season with Montréal, he’s played in five games and hasn’t registered a point. He has four penalty minutes and -1 rating. 

It could be that once Kapanen gets consistent playing time with a consistent role, his game will improve. However, it’s difficult to center a trade around him. While he fits the bill of a young center, his lack of success so far in the NHL raises some eyebrows. It's likely that Kapanen would be a nice piece to add to a trade without being the focal point of the return -- much like Engström.

Another risky option from the Habs

The final roster piece Montréal could offer in a trade is Kirby Dach. A name linked to Detroit in his draft year, it’s likely the Red Wings have kept tabs on the young center. The biggest question is, though, would he, plus the other two prospects (and likely a first round pick) be enough to convince Detroit to part with Larkin?

Dach was born on January 21, 2001, in Fort Saskatchewan, Alberta, Canada. He’s an another right handed forward (listed on Elite Prospects as a center and right wing), but is a bigger fella at 6’4” and weighing 220 lbs. Selected third overall in the 2019 NHL Entry Level Draft by the Chicago Blackhawks, Dach has since moved on to Montréal. 

As intriguing of a player as he is, Dach has yet to really solidify himself as a high-end forward in the NHL. In his draft year, Elite Prospects 2019 Guide wrote:

“A two-way center with exceptional hockey sense. Dach is also a highly-skilled playmaker who sees openings that most players don’t. Despite his large stature, he is surprisingly shifty and equipped with fine hands and creativity.”

A big question is the effectiveness of the two-way play. Just a quick view of his plus/minus history (I can hear the sighs now), Dach’s recorded just one season where he was positive (a +2 rating during the 2023-24 season with Montréal). 

Just as a comparison, let’s take Kasper and compare a few stats to Dach. The range is 2023-24 through the current season at five-on-five (pulled from Natural Stat Trick)

Neither have been particularly lucky in the injury category, but Dach’s injury history may have lessened his trajectory in the NHL from his draft year. It’s disappointing, and he could still turn things around. It’s just a bit more of the same as the other two, though. Dach’s a promising player. It just doesn’t seem like the best fit for a Larkin trade (even if Larkin okayed a trade to Montréal).

Even though at first glance the Montréal Canadiens and Detroit Red Wings seem like they may be great dance partners for a trade, upon closer inspection it seems that the pieces the Habs are (likely) willing to part with are a bit underwhelming in terms of what the Wings are demanding as part of a return for Larkin. A trade for Larkin isn’t likely, but a guy like Rasmussen or Copp might be a bit more reasonable (but Montréal isn’t likely too interested in either player).

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