4 untouchable prospects the Red Wings cannot trade at the deadline

Few general managers have been as effective at building teams as Steve Yzerman. The Detroit Red Wings general manager showed us what he could do not only in the previous decade with the Tampa Bay Lightning, but his approach in the Motor City has Detroit playing some outstanding hockey this season. 

Earlier in the year, Yzerman showed us he was completely fine with taking risks when he inked Patrick Kane to a deal. Kane was coming off of a risky procedure that NHL players rarely made an impact returning from, but with 31 points and 13 goals in just 29 contests, the 35-year-old still looks like the star player he always was. And you can argue Yzerman should keep him in Detroit beyond the 2023-24 season. 

Given the success of Kane and this previous summer’s trade involving his old Chicago Blackhawks teammate Alex Debrincat, there is no way Yzerman should stop buying. And he won’t, whether he goes for another jaw-dropping deal or one that won’t bring as much attention but will nonetheless remain effective. 

Steve Yzerman must keep improving the Red Wings, but…

Steve Yzerman should call several non-contending teams who have valuable assets to give, but he must also draw a line if and when they start demanding top prospects. It’s a given that the front offices in Anaheim, San Jose, Arizona, and Chicago will want a high-end name from what is one of the league’s top prospect pools, but Yzerman must simultaneously be thinking about the present and the future. 

The Yzerplan, so far, has been about building a winner now and a winner in the future, and it must stay that way. So, which prospects must be on the “no-trade list” regardless of what’s offered? Here are four names that Yzerman must keep in the system so that they can continue to grow and become pivotal pieces of the Red Wings in the not-so-distant future.