NHL analyst proposes blockbuster Red Wings trade

Here we are again. For the tenth consecutive year, the Detroit Red Wings are out of the playoffs. Tensions are reaching a breaking point both in and out of the organization. After getting booed off the ice during the team's final home game of the season, it's clear something needs to change with this team.

One NHL analyst proposes a league-changing move that could alter the face of two teams.

Dylan Larkin (5x$8.7M) to the Devils

Nico Hischier (sign and trade, 8x$11.5M) to the Red Wings

Somebody adds, both teams shake up their leadership groups and core after repeated disappointments. Wings get 2.5 years younger, Devils save ~$3M in cap.

HockeyStats cofounder JFresh believes this blockbuster move would be offer a win for both parties. The New Jersey Devils receive a cost-controlled top center and free up additional salary space for the next five seasons. The Red Wings, on the other hand, secure a top center for the next eight seasons.

What the Red Wings get from Nico Hischier

Nico Hischier, the first overall pick of the 2017 NHL Entry Draft, is the captain of the Devils. Like Larkin, he's a two-way center with a penchant for scoring. Hischier hit career highs in the 2022-23 season, scoring 31 goals and 49 assists for 80 points in 81 games. Since then, he's kept up a steady rate of production on the team's top line alongside Timo Meier and Dawson Mercer.

Larkin and Hischier are near-identical players. Their ice time, points-per-game and production are alike. This move isn't what the Red Wings need. Detroit's depth is what's doomed them this season. Despite their early season rally, the team's lack of productive scorers outside the top-six sunk them.

Eventually, the Red Wings will need to find a contingency plan for Patrick Kane. The 37-year-old forward, while still productive, is only getting older. Sooner or later, he'll retire from the NHL and Detroit will need a top-six winger to take his place. They have a solid enough prospect pool with players like Michael Brandsegg-Nygard. But, if they need immediate help, trading for Nico Hischier doesn't seem to be a productive choice moving forward.

Hischier trade likely won't happen for this reason

A hypothetical trade, of course, would require Dylan Larkin to waive his no-move clause. Barring a mutual agreement to move on, this seems extremely unlikely. Larkin is a hometown boy. He's the face of the Red Wings. His teammates and coaching staff praise him for his dedication to the game. Larkin is heavily involved in the community and has stated numerous times that Detroit is and always will be his home.

"Obviously he's our leader, we believe in him," teammate Moritz Seider said when speaking to the media. "We don't really care what you guys say about us outside this locker room, we always trust him, he's an important player, he put us on his back and we need that 3 more times."

Moritz Seider: "That’s only 1 of 4. And that should be the message into our locker room right now: We need 6 more points and then we’ll see where we land."

On Larkin: "He’s our leader. We believe in him. We don’t really care what you guys say about us outside this locker room." pic.twitter.com/JLvBFzOXfJ

Additional factors in Larkin trade

Hischier has one year left on his contract making $7.25M per year. He'll be an unrestricted free agent next season. If Hischier and the Devils aren't able to reach an agreement it's entirely possible that he'll hit the free agency market. Why, then, should the Red Wings trade away their top center in what would surely just be a lateral move?

If they can just secure Hischier during the 2026-27 offseason for nothing more than his salary, there's no point in the Red WIngs pursuing this trade. Running with a one-two punch of Larkin and Hischier, however, gives Detroit two two-way centers and enough defensive help to add pure scorers on their respective wings.

Imagine the kind of punch Alex DeBrincat could pack with Nico Hischier as his center.

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