Should the Detroit Red Wings trade for Auston Matthews?

Dylan Larkin is many things to the Detroit Red Wings.

The leader and captain, speed, and consistency. Of all things is he is, though, each season that passes it becomes glaring: Larkin’s window is growing shorter at an exponential rate. Injuries pile up as the strength of competition he faces remains the same. 

While there is a valid discussion for Wings fans as to whether the rebuild centering on Larkin should continue. If Hockeytown continues with Larkin, though, he needs help. 

Andrew Copp has performed above-average at times, but injuries and inconsistency leave questions for next season. Maybe Marco Kasper rebounds from his sophomore slump and plays to his capabilities. Questions are too many and severe to continue to hope things get better with Larkin. 

This offseason, it’s vital that if the Red Wings continue with Larkin to bring in help. One of the seemingly best options (in terms of pure upside and potential) is the Toronto Maple Leafs captain and top center: Auston Matthews.

Who is Auston Matthews?

While most hockey fans know who Auston Matthews is, it's important to lay the groundwork to determine whether or not he's a good fit for the Red Wings.

For anyone unfamiliar, Matthews is one of the most talented offensive threats in the NHL. In addition to being the captain of the Maple Leafs, he wore the “C” for gold medal-winning Team USA (and he captained Team USA at 4 Nations). 

Per the NHL website, over 689 games played in his NHL career, Matthews has scored 428 goals and assisted on 352 goals for a combined 780 total points (producing at over 1.13 points per game). He has a +147 rating (only 109 of his goals came on the power play) with 152 penalty minutes. Additionally, Matthews is in the top-40 in scoring since joining the league in 2016-17.  

Like every human, Matthews isn’t as consistent as he could (and likely should) be as a captain. Yet, with this inconsistent play, Matthews is an elite offensive talent who has improved his two-way game (a requirement for any Red Wings player, much less a center).

It's likely Matthews stays with the Leafs. But, having said that, his recent comments on his future with the organization suggest an uncertain future:

In all fairness to Matthews, the Leafs are going through management changes, so he's not wrong in what he says. It's just a bit different perspective from the Larkins of the world.

What Auston Matthews can bring to the Red Wings

On Natural Stat Trick’s website, when comparing Dylan Larkin to Auston Matthews in the regular season from 2023-24 through 2025-26:

Although their stats are similar, these guys are completely different types of centers and how they play. Having two centers with effective offensive capabilities can be challenging to game plan around. Essentially, he would compliment the other top-line for the Wings very nicely.

With Matthews in the lineup, opposing teams would struggle to combat the one-two punch of the Larkin line and Matthews. A line of Alex DeBrincat and Patrick Kane with Matthews as the center would not only bolster the lineup, it might become the top line (though, the jury is out on if Kane could handle that level of a role, should he return).

Matthews isn’t quite the speedster that Larkin is, but he’s an effective skater (when he wants to be). Having both Larkin and Matthews on a single power play unit would boost any team’s chances of scoring. If they’re split between the power play units, it would make it even more challenging for opponents to game plan against.

However, this idea of trading for Matthews isn’t all positive.

Why a trade for Auston Matthews may not work for the Red Wings

Where the stars in eyes start falling comes from the reality that Matthews, like Larkin, has battled injury-riddled seasons. This year, his season was cut short by a brutal knee injury. Even before the knee, it was clear that Matthews was battling injuries throughout the last few seasons. 

Just to illustrate the injury plagued career, Matthews has only completed 82 games once in his career (his rookie campaign). In 2023-24 he missed just one game, but last season he played less than 70 games and this season, Matthews ended his season with 60 games played. 

Injuries likely played a role in his production this year as well. Matthews finished with a career-low 53 points (27 games and 26 assists). For context, Matthews would have been sixth on the team in scoring (behind Kane and above Copp). He would have played fewer games than the likes of Michael Rasmussen (64) and Jacob Bernard-Docker (63).

On top of the injuries and decrease in production, Matthews commands a hefty price tag. Per PuckPedia, Matthews is signed through 2027-28 at $13.25 million each season. With an ever-increasing cap, regardless of his current and future production, his price tag will only skyrocket (both in acquisition costs and percentage of cap hit). 

The cost of trading for Matthews

The Maples Leafs would (and should) demand a king’s ransom in return for Matthews, if they look to trade him. Forget the Robert Thomas and Elias Pettersson rumors, the Red Wings would make a dent in the future draft and prospects cupboards if a Matthews trade went through. It also depends if the Leafs are looking to go for a full tear down rebuild or the retool process.  

If the Leafs want to rebuild (doubtful), then the Red Wings could offer draft picks—but they don’t have their 2026 first round pick (you’re welcome St. Louis). They have plenty of prospects to choose from, however, the quality of prospects might come into question. Maybe Toronto could be interested in the Red  Wings’ goalie pipeline, which is bursting at the seams. 

However, they will need a center (likely two or three possible options) in a return for Matthews to help both the current and future rosters. It wouldn’t be out of left field if they demand both Marco Kasper and Nate Danielson, though the former has suffered in his sophomore slump and the latter has a nagging injury, so neither’s stock is all that high. 

Something like this may work as a starting point: 

Sebastian Cossa 
Nate Danielson 
2027 First Round Pick

It's likely that the Leafs could choose from anybody (or bodies) not named Larkin, Lucas Raymond, Moritz Seider and Alex DeBrincat on the current roster. 

If the Leafs are looking to retool (most likely), then the Wings wouldn’t have enough to offer as none of their prospects are that ready. Additionally, Detroit doesn’t even have enough good players to fill out their own roster, and can’t afford to lose that many positive-impact players as it would take to acquire a Matthews-type player (even with the injury history and lower production taken into account). 

Another important question: how will the knee injury on top of his previous injuries impact his number of games played and production?

Having an elite and high-end center in Matthews and Larkin would be a dream—when they’re able to play. As with any dream, though, it can quickly turn into a nightmare if things go wrong. With so much risk (and the severity of the risk) it’s not worth it for the Detroit Red Wings. 

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