Why the Detroit Red Wings shouldn't trade for a second line center

The Detroit Red Wings have needed a second-line center (2C) for a while now. They've made do with players like Andrew Copp, J.T. Compher, and Pius Suter but haven't had a true 2C in nearly a decade.

With the recent season-ending injury to Copp and the down season that Compher seems to be having, many within the Red Wings fandom have been calling for the organization to make a move for a 2C.

The team is in the middle of a major playoff push in an incredibly tight playoff race, so it only makes sense to acquire an asset to help with the push and potential playoff run. However, with the trade deadline approaching, a long-term 2C shouldn't be a priority for the team to target.

There has been no shortage of players that have been linked to the Red Wings to become their new 2C. Players like Dylan Cozens and Casey Mittelstadt have been linked to the team for most of the season post-Christmas break. They're great players and even better trade targets if you're looking for a multi-year solution, but I don't think the Red Wings should be looking for a multi-year solution.

The next second line center for the Detroit Red Wings should be from within the organization

It's no secret that the Red Wings have one of the best prospect pools in the league. That pool involves more than a few good centers, meaning that adding a player with multiple years left on their contract, like Cozens or Mittelstadt, would only add a bigger logjam for the team's center prospects to make the team. Players like Copp and Compher have proven that they can handle being in the 2C position as a stopgap gap, and their contracts work out perfectly with current center prospects who are projected to make the team in the coming years.

Nate Danielson was projected to be the Red Wings future 2C after his incredible 2023-24 training camp and preseason. Between Copp and Compher, there are a combined five seasons left for players who can play 2C and also ease Danielson into that spot. By the time Copp's contract is done, Danielson should be solidified as the 2C and getting ready for a contract extension of his own.

That likely leaves us with another year of Compher, who is a more than serviceable third-line center (3C) to help the likes of Amadeus Lombardi get set into the 3C spot and potentially even Emmitt Finnie in the fourth-line center spot, solidifying the team's future center depth.

In other words, bringing in a multi-year 2C when you already have two players to fill that spot and players who are likely to be the future of that position will likely cause more problems than it solves. I feel the best course of action for the team to take is for them to keep what they have at 2C and let the kids slot in as they make their way onto the roster.