One of the teams that hasn’t made much noise this offseason is the Detroit Red Wings. With all of the massive deals going around the league, it’s surprising to see GM Steve Yzerman sort of sitting on his hands.
But Yzerman could be biding his time. He could be standing around waiting for the dominoes to fall into place as part of a bigger deal.
Talk has emerged about Red Wings forward Alex DeBrincat generating interest around the league. The 28-year-old has free agency looming on the horizon. And so, the Red Wings might be inclined to cash him in now, especially with a possible Dylan Larkin trade percolating.
An interesting club reportedly showing interest in The Cat is the Buffalo Sabres. The Fourth Period’s David Pagnotta noted that the Sabres, among about a half-dozen teams, have been seriously kicking the tires on DeBrincat.
But there’s one key trade chip the Sabres hold that the Red Wings would want: The fourth-overall pick in the 2026 NHL Draft.
Now, let’s assume for a minute that the Red Wings convert DeBrincat into the Sabres’ pick. Detroit can then turn around and weaponize that pick in a trade involving Winnipeg Jets netminder Connor Hellebuyck.
Yes, that’s right.
The Red Wings are one of the teams reportedly close to Hellebuyck’s heart. While Hellebuyck would have wanted to join his Team USA buddy Larkin in Detroit, Hellebuyck, a Michigan native, might be willing to head to the Motor City, even without Larkin.
Red Wings Have Pieces to Round Out Trade Package for Hellebuyck
The Red Wings certainly have pieces to entice the Jets into moving Hellebuyck. For instance, the fourth pick plus other prospects like goalie Sebastian Cossa and, say, Nate Danielson could be enough to move the needle.
It’s worth pointing out that a Hellebuyck trade would almost instantly plunge the Jets into a rebuild. So, landing the fourth pick and two or three solid prospects could make the move worthwhile for the Jets.
Moving forward, the Red Wings could roll with a tandem of Hellebuyck and John Gibson. Considering Gibson has one more year left on his current contract, it wouldn’t be completely unreasonable for the veteran netminder to back up Hellebuyck, as his contract expires.
What to read next:
Trade Idea Involves Multiple Moving Parts
While this trade idea certainly seems plausible, it might not happen as it would involve multiple moving parts. The Red Wings would need to negotiate two separate trades to make the entire operation work.
Perhaps there might even be a three-way deal resulting from this idea. But that would only add to the complexity of the operation. With multiple moving parts working simultaneously, the chances of the trade eventually falling through are high.
So, this thesis may not be more than just that, an idea. While it could certainly work on paper, putting it into practice might take a lot more.
There’s one final thought to consider if such a deal happens before the Red Wings trade Larkin. Perhaps seeing the aggressive moves by Yzerman, Larkin may reconsider his trade request. The relationship, nonetheless, may be fractured beyond repair. But one can’t help but think that seeing such actions could somehow repair the rift between Larkin and the Red Wings.
Red Wings Might Just Have a Shocker Up Their Sleeves