Trade Pitch Has Red Wings Acquiring Erik Gudbranson

The Detroit Red Wings are looking to end its playoff drought and a trade pitch has the team acquiring a gritty defenseman.

The website PuckPedia‘s PuckGM tool lets users create their own trades. One user proposed a deal that would see the Red Wings acquiring Erik Gudbranson from the Columbus Blue Jackets.

Red Wings acquire:

Erik Gudbranson

Blue Jackets acquire:

Justin Holl
Antti Tuomisto
2025 second-round pick

The proposed deal would be interesting as Detroit would get out of Holl’s contract while also adding a veteran defenseman to help them win now.

Gudbranson is in the third year of his four-year $16 million deal with the Blue Jackets. Gudbranson would add physicality to the Red Wings blue line and be able to shut down the opposing team’s top lines. In his NHL career, Gudbranson has skated in 792 games recording 34 goals and 99 assists for 133 points.

The big part of the return would be the second-round pick. But, Detroit would also deal Holl who’s in the second year of his three-year $10.2 million deal. Holl has struggled to perform in Detroit and was a buyout candidate this offseason but could replace Gudbranson on the blue line.

Tuomisto, meanwhile, was selected 35th overall in the 2019 NHL draft. The defenseman is playing in the AHL this season but has yet to take the step to the NHL that Detroit had hoped for.

Gudbranson Recovering From Shoulder Surgery

Gudbranson is out indefinitely so this move would be for later on in the season and a potential playoff run.

The veteran defenseman was injured on October 15 and underwent shoulder surgery on October 21.

“Erik had successful shoulder surgery on Monday and is expected to make a full recovery,” GM Don Waddell said in a statement. “While he will miss a significant amount of time, we know he will work extremely hard during his rehab and will continue to be an important part of our leadership group.”

Gudbranson is expected to be out indefinitely but should return later this season. He would immediately be on the Red Wings’ third pairing in the potential deal and bring more leadership to the room.

Red Wings’ Holl a Buyout Candidate

Holl signed a three-year deal with Detroit but in his first season, he struggled with the Red Wings.

The defenseman didn’t make the team out of training camp and was placed on waivers. However, he has since been called up, but he is a buyout candidate in the 2025 offseason.

NHL insider Max Bultman of The Athletic believes Detroit will move on from Holl next offseason.

“They likely didn’t want to be on the hook for four years of dead cap that would have come with a buyout. It wasn’t a massive number ($1.13 million each year), but four years is a long time to pay dead cap. The Red Wings’ management team likely believes Holl can play. Whether Lalonde uses him is another question, but I don’t get the sense from Yzerman that he thinks Holl is a lost cause,” Bultman wrote in his article.

“Your point about the cap hit sitting in the press box is good. But, the Red Wings probably don’t expect to be quite as lucky injury-wise this season as they were in 2023-24. If that’s the case, Holl could play more this season. But if he doesn’t and he’s again a $3.4 million scratch for most of the season, I’d have to imagine they’ll explore a buyout next year, for just two years of dead cap at the same $1.13 million cost,” Bultman added.

Holl has skated in 8 games recording 1 assist this season.

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