The Detroit Red Wings are going to be one of the most fascinating teams to watch during the offseason. After extending their playoff drought to 10 years following their awful finish to the season, it would not be surprising if general manager Steve Yzerman is aggressive this summer.
The Red Wings should be looking to improve multiple parts of their roster during the offseason. Among them is the center position, as it is clear that the Red Wings need a serious boost down the middle. Adding another legitimate top-six center, in particular, should be the Red Wings' top objective of the summer.
When looking at trade candidates heading into the offseason, it is clear who the Red Wings should make their primary target: St. Louis Blues superstar center Robert Thomas.
Thomas checks off just about every box of what the Red Wings should be looking for. First and foremost, he is a legitimate first-line center who produced at a point-per-game pace for the third straight season in a row. He's also very much in his prime, as he turns only 27 in July. To top it off, he would also be far more than a rental for the Red Wings as he has a reasonable $8.125 million cap hit until the end of the 2030-31 season.
With all of this in mind, he is precisely the kind of center that the Red Wings should be looking to bring in. It would take a significant trade offer to land him, yes, but it would be worth it when noting that he would give Detroit's offense a massive boost if acquired.
Where Robert Thomas would fit in the Red Wings' lineup if acquired
If the Red Wings successfully landed Thomas, he would form a fantastic one-two punch with Dylan Larkin down the middle. With Thomas being the most offensively skilled center between the two, it would make sense if he became the Red Wings' new first-line center if acquired.
However, Thomas could also make some real magic on the Red Wings' second line with sniper Alex DeBrincat due to his playmaking ability. In either scenario, the Red Wings' top six would improve dramatically if they ended up being the lucky team that lands Thomas.
Thomas would also give the Red Wings another clear star to work with on their power play. This would be huge for Detroit as they look to take that next step and become a playoff team next year.
Ultimately, with the Red Wings desperately needing to improve, it would make a ton of sense if they swung a major deal for Thomas. The fit looks excellent on paper, and it will be interesting to see if they can successfully land him from St. Louis from here.
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