Last summer, the Detroit Red Wings traded their third-round pick to the St. Louis Blues for goaltender Ville Husso. This year, they could once again deal with one of their many draft picks for a roster player.
In particular, Detroit’s three second-round picks could be good trades.
“I’ve never had three picks in a row, especially three in the second round,” Red Wings general manager Steve Yzerman said in his pre-draft press conference.
“These choices tend to be valuable. … They are all a form of currency. Whether you use them to move up the draft, drop back in the draft, gain more picks, or acquire players.
Related: Red Wings Mock Draft 3.0: All 7 Rounds & Trades
As far as Detroit’s offseason priorities go, a scoring forward and a top-four right-back are the biggest needs. Below are players who fit those descriptions who could be available for a second-round (or later) pick.
Red Wings targets: attackers who score goals
Top forwards on the trading block like Alex DeBrincat, Elias Lindholm, Travis Konecny and Pierre-Luc Dubois would demand the Red Wings part ways with a first-round pick (and more). Today we’re going to focus on the next tier of players who will likely cost less, but still meet Detroit’s need to score more goals.
- Viktor Arvidson – The Los Angeles Kings just acquired Pierre-Luc Dubois and signed him to an eight-year, $8.5 million AAV deal, leaving them with about $4 million of cap space to sign a starting goalie and bring in a handful of skaters. Arvidsson’s contract transfer would free up $4.25 million before he reaches the unrestricted free agent next summer. The small winger scored 26 goals and registered 59 points in 77 games last year.
- Antoine Mantha – I know I know. I’m sure many of you don’t want to see Mantha in Detroit again. But the Washington Capitals need a cap, and the 28-year-old forward could be on the chopping block. Maybe Derek Lalonde is the right coach to help Mantha establish himself as a more consistent player. I would welcome it if the cost was just a later turn pick.
- Brock Boeser – The Vancouver Canucks don’t necessarily need to trade Boeser. That said, he’s young, would fit into Detroit’s core, and has the offensive skills to be a valuable winger in the middle of the six as the Red Wings emerge from their rebuild. Detroit’s selling point could be to take over Boeser’s entire $6.65 million cap, freeing up much-needed cap space for Vancouver and meeting one of their own needs in the process. .
Related: Red Wings 2023 Draft Coverage
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Red Wings targets: Right backs
I have a set of assumptions here. First, Jake Walman and Moritz Seider will be Detroit’s best pair in 2023-24. Second, Simon Edvinsson is qualified to play on the left side of the second pair. Third, Ben Chiarot can play both sides, and Olli Maatta should play the left side. And finally, Chiarot shouldn’t be paired with Edvinsson.
That leaves the Red Wings needing a right fielder to play second pairing with Edvinsson. Agreed? GOOD. Here are some options.
- matt roy – Instead of Arvidsson, the Kings could choose to move Roy and make room for Brandt Clarke and Jordan Spence to join Drew Doughty on the right side of the blue line. Roy would be a perfect fit for Detroit – you can read my full analysis here.
- Chris Tanev – More of a temporary fix, Tanev can provide backend stability after spending most of his career battling opponents’ best lines. He’ll be an unrestricted free agent in 2024, but that’s exactly what you want in the roster during the playoffs.
- Tyler Myers – Similar to Tanev, Myers is more of a defensive defender at this stage of his career. He’s also a former first-round pick who could help ease Edvinsson’s integration into the NHL.
- Andrew Peek –THW’s Mark Scheig reported that Peeke has been attracting interest as a trade chip since the Columbus Blue Jackets acquired Damon Severson. Like Tanev and Myers, he is a defender first and would complement an attacking-minded defender well. Peeke had stellar possession numbers last year — he was tasked with first-pairing minutes for part of the season — and has three years left on his contract with a $2.75 million AAV.
- Adam Boqvist — Like Peeke, Boqvist could be Columbus’ odd man after the acquisition of Severson and the rise of top prospect David Jiricek. Boqvist is more of an attacking defender, however, and more of a third pair defender at this early stage in his career. An acquisition of Boqvist would require additional moves by the Red Wings.
Related: 3 Red Wings predictions for 2023 NHL Draft
Last word
Given Detroit’s glut of draft picks, their diverse needs and a weak free-agent class, the Red Wings should pursue trades in order to add to their NHL roster. Their lead pipeline is flush with depth, so swapping out a pick or two wouldn’t be much of a problem.
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