Top 3 players the Red Wings missed out on at the NHL trade deadline

Scott Laughton’s defense-first mentality could have transformed Detroit

Despite playing sensational hockey this season, the Philadelphia Flyers weren’t supposed to keep their entire team intact. One player in the rumor mill, Sean Walker, went to the Colorado Avalanche, and it yielded the Flyers a conditional first-round pick. Scott Laughton was the other player supposed to be on the move, but general manager Daniel Briere kept him in the City of Brotherly Love. 

While Laughton, despite his affordable cap hit, would have cost some significant compensation in the way of high-end prospects and draft picks, Yzerman shouldn’t have thought twice about calling up Briere. He had a prospect in Jonatan Berggren, who Briere would have taken, and while Laughton likely would have cost a first-round pick, Yzerman had first-round picks to burn, considering the state of his team and his prospects pool. 

Laughton’s contract also runs through the 2025-26 season, so the Red Wings would have had him for not one, not two, but three potential playoff runs. Considering his physical, defense-first game, plus the ability to provide adequate scoring (double-digit goals in the last three seasons), and the contributions he could also make on special teams, Laughton would have been a remarkable addition, even if the Red Wings weren’t linked to him.