On Monday night, the Hurricanes became the first team in the East this year to 60 points. Minutes later, the Red Wings became the second by beating the Canes in overtime. Detroit is enjoying its best season in more than a decade and boasts a deep pool of prospects and loads of salary cap space. It feels like the time has finally arrived for GM Steve Yzerman to make an aggressive move at the trade deadline.
The deadline is still a ways out (March 6), but another one looms in a few weeks that could incentivize teams to get busy, with the NHL beginning a trade freeze on Feb. 4 that runs through the Olympic break.
The East is a logjam, especially the Atlantic Division, where every team is above .500 by points percentage. The top six teams were separated by seven points entering play Friday night, while the two-time defending Stanley Cup champs loom in seventh. Even the last-place Senators threaten to get hot.
Point is, there aren't many sellers in the East. But there will certainly be a few in the West, highlighted by the Canucks who already traded Quinn Hughes to the Wild in a blockbuster last month. Yzerman and the Wings were in on the star defenseman, but reportedly balked at a trade when they couldn't ensure that Hughes, a free agent after next season, would sign an extension in Detroit.
Still, the fact that they were in the mix is a signal that Yzerman is ready to strike. Here are three other potential trade targets for the Red Wings in the weeks ahead.
Elias Pettersson, Canucks
If the Canucks traded the 26-year-old Hughes, they might also move their 27-year-old No. 1 center and leading scorer. And with Pettersson rumored to be on the block, the Red Wings have every reason to be involved. A 1-2 punch down the middle of Dylan Larkin and Pettersson for the next several years could be as potent as any in the East.
Pettersson hasn't produced at the same clip that earned him the massive eight-year, $92.8 million extension he signed in 2024 on the heels of a 100-point season, but he remains one of the more dynamic players in the game at his best. It also feels like he could benefit from a change of scenery, with his effort and focus having been questioned at times in Vancouver.
The Canucks would be loath to sell low on Pettersson, who has 29 points in 39 games this season with a minus-13 rating. And the Wings would likely be wary of acquiring a player who carries a cap hit of $11.6 million for six more years to come while ranking outside the top 100 scorers in points per game over the last two seasons. And Pettersson, with his no-movement clause, would have to approve a trade to any destination.
But if the Canucks are motivated to unload his contract for a fresh start as an organization, the idea of Pettersson teaming up in Detroit with fellow Swedes Lucas Raymond, Simon Edvinsson and Axel Sandin-Pellikka has plenty of appeal. If the Canucks retain some of Pettersson's salary, they could lower the financial risk for the acquiring team and increase their own return. Either way, the price wouldn't be as high as what the Wild paid for Hughes, a star at the top of his game.
Rasmus Andersson, Flames
Hughes would have supercharged a blueline in Detroit that already features a Norris candidate on the come in Moritz Seider and two more rising young players in Edvinsson and Sandin-Pellikka. Andersson wouldn't represent the same splash, but would add plenty of stability to a defensive corps that will need it down the stretch and ideally into the playoffs.
A pending free agent, Andersson seems destined to be dealt by the Flames by the deadline. He makes a lot of sense for the Red Wings as a sturdy right-shot defenseman who logs top-pair minutes in all situations. Only five NHL players have seen more ice time over the last five seasons than Andersson, who's still just 29. Seider, Andersson and Sandin-Pellikka would make the right side of Detroit's blueline a strength.
Andersson will have a long line of suitors as the sort of piece that contenders crave. The Flames will likely be seeking a first-round pick, and probably a young player. Yzerman would want assurances that the Wings would have a chance to re-sign Andersson this summer (or extend him before that) if he's going to pay that sort of price. For the current team in Detroit, it could be well worth it.
Connor Murphy, Blackhawks
A less glamorous name than the prior two, but a solid player in his own right. Murphy is another veteran right-shot defenseman on an expiring contract who could stabilize that side of the backend for the Wings behind Seider, bumping Sandin-Pellikka into a third-pair role more suitable for an undersized rookie.
This would be more of a depth move for Detroit than a real game-changer, which also means it probably wouldn't cost more than, say, a third-round pick. Murphy offers limited offense, but the ability to erase plays and make a good first pass can go a long way in those key moments in critical games.