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Rangers Name J.T. Miller Captain

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After parting ways with their previous captain via trade, the Rangers have found their new one the same way. J.T. Miller will wear the “C” for New York this season after last year’s midseason pickup, Vince Z. Mercogliano of The Athletic relays.

Miller, 32, will be the 29th captain in franchise history as he begins his first full season in his second stint with the team. He’ll be just their second captain since 2018. The team went without one for over four years after trading away Ryan McDonagh at the deadline before anointing Jacob Trouba ahead of the 2022-23 season. They’d spent the last nine months with the position vacant after dealing Trouba to the Ducks in December.

“Since his arrival last season, J.T. immediately became a leader for our group and exemplifies how we want to conduct ourselves both on and off the ice,” general manager Chris Drury said. “Congratulations to J.T. and his entire family on an incredibly meaningful achievement and we’re confident he will continue to represent our organization with class, commitment, and integrity.”

Miller, a first-round pick by the Blueshirts back in 2011, looked rejuvenated after they re-acquired him in a blockbuster trade with the Canucks in January. After three straight seasons with Vancouver above a point per game, he dipped back below the mark to start the season amid a leave of absence and a reported feud with fellow star forward Elias Pettersson. But after being put in the middle of a unit with William Cuylle and Mika Zibanejad in Manhattan, Miller finished the year with a 13-22–35 line in 32 appearances while recording 76 hits and winning 57.6% of his faceoffs.

The high-energy pivot will now be entrusted as the emotional focal point of the club as they enter a pivotal campaign. The club has a new head coach in Mike Sullivan and is looking for a more stable long-term outlook following a 12-month window that saw them drop from regular-season champs to missing the playoffs entirely. They’re also facing the potential loss of star winger Artemi Panarin to unrestricted free agency at the end of the year.

He isn’t the team’s only leadership change. The club also said Vincent Trocheck has been added as an alternate captain, replacing Chris Kreider, who was dealt to Anaheim earlier in the offseason. Panarin, Adam Fox, and Mika Zibanejad will continue holding ’A’s alongside him.

Image courtesy of Timothy T. Ludwig-Imagn Images.

Snapshots: Necas, Maccelli, Blue Jackets Invites

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The focal point of the Colorado Avalanche’s return package in the blockbuster trade that sent Mikko Rantanen to the Carolina Hurricanes was forward Martin Necas, and although he enjoyed a solid start to his tenure in Colorado, his situation is far from settled. The 26-year-old scored 28 points in 30 games in Denver, but his future with the club is cloudy due to the fact that he is set to hit unrestricted free agency after the 2025-26 season. The Denver Post’s Corey Masisiak called Necas’ contract situation “a tricky negotiation for both sides,” and provided some detail as to why.

First and foremost, Masisiak cited Minnesota Wild forward Kirill Kaprizov’s contract situation as a factor that could hold up progress – Necas may not want to sign his deal until his camp, led by Eclipse Sports Management’s Michael Deutsch, gets to see what Kaprizov’s deal is valued at. From the Avalanche’s side of the equation, the team needs to find a way to figure out if they can fit Necas’ next contract onto their books, which currently feature Nathan MacKinnon at a $12.6MM cap hit and are set to feature Cale Makar’s likely record-setting extension in two years’ time. Necas is an extremely talented hockey player and has proven to be a quality fit for the Avalanche, but retaining him, for the reasons Masisiak detailed, could prove challenging.

Some other notes from around the league:

  • At the end of 2023-24, it looked as though Matias Maccelli was inching his way to star status as an NHL scorer. The Finnish winger had scored 57 points in his second full season in the NHL, but things went badly wrong in 2024-25. Maccelli’s offense cratered, and he found himself in-and-out of the Utah lineup en route to a final total of just 18 points. Now with the Toronto Maple Leafs thanks to an offseason trade, Maccelli is a candidate to have a real bounce-back year in 2025-26. He told The Hockey News’ Nick Barden today that his level of motivation is “probably the highest it has ever been,” and expressed some hope that he’ll get to play with and learn from some of the Leafs’ “top names.” Toronto has a major scoring void to fill after the departure of Mitch Marner to the Vegas Golden Knights, so Maccelli will have a massive opportunity to get his career back on the right track. If he can show chemistry with one of Toronto’s two star centers, he could quickly find himself back in the strong statistical company he once held.
  • The Columbus Blue Jackets announced today, as part of their larger training camp roster announcement, that two of the club’s free agent invites to its now-concluded rookie camp have been extended an invite to full training camp. One if the invites is of 20-year-old Saginaw Spirit forward Nicholas Sima, who team reporter Jeff Svoboda referred to as a “standout” of the team’s prospect games. The other invite is of defender Marcus Kearsey, who captains the QMJHL’s Charlottetown Islanders. While neither player is a real candidate to win an NHL job (they’d need to sign an entry-level contract in order to do so, anyway) these invites give each player the opportunity to further impress Blue Jackets brass.

Evening Notes: Canadiens Additions, Fedotov, Andersson

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After three straight last-place Atlantic Division finishes and then a trip to the playoffs in 2024-25, it appears the Montreal Canadiens’ rebuild may be over. Or, the rebuild has at least reached a critical new stage, one focused more on acquiring NHL-ready talent that fit the club’s core competitive window. The team made two additions that fit that mold this summer, bringing in star defenseman Noah Dobson and promising second-year forward Zachary Bolduc, and it appears the team may not be done. RG Media’s Marco D’Amico reported today that it was “abundantly clear” in the media availabilities of Canadiens hockey operations leaders Jeff Gorton and Kent Hughes that the club is intent on adding even more talent to reinforce its roster during the 2025-26 campaign.

D’Amico added that the Canadiens “want to add” and expect the trade market “to pick up mid-season” as teams have more information on whether they’ll be in a position to qualify for the postseason. The Canadiens’ most significant immediate roster need is likely at the center position, specifically in the number-two center role behind captain Nick Suzuki. It was reported today that 2018 third-overall pick Kirby Dach is on track to return for the start of the regular season, but injuries have cost him significant time in each of his three seasons in Montreal, so it is unclear whether he’ll be able to adequately fill the second-line-center role. If he struggles, its possible the Canadiens look to the trade market to add immediate reinforcements to that position, and D’Amico’s reporting today suggests they will.

Some other notes from across the NHL:

  • Columbus Blue Jackets general manager Don Waddell spoke to the media today in advance of the club’s upcoming training camp, and provided some new details the franchise’s thinking related to their recent acquisition of netminder Ivan Fedotov from the Philadelphia Flyers. Per team reporter Jeff Svoboda, Waddell said “I don’t have nightmares too often, but every nightmare I had this summer was about goaltending (depth). I felt like we needed to address it.” It’s not unreasonable that Waddell would be concerned about the club’s goaltending depth – before the trade, the top goalie they had behind Elvis Merzlikins and Jet Greaves was Zachary Sawchenko, who has just seven career NHL games to his name and none since 2021-22. By adding Fedotov, the Blue Jackets get a player who was once one of the top goalies in the KHL, although he has admittedly struggled thusfar in his career in North America.
  • Calgary Flames defenseman Rasmus Andersson was one of the most frequently talked-about players in transaction rumors over the course of this past summer, though the defenseman did not ultimately get traded. Today, Andersson addressed the news from the summer, specifically calling reports that he was only willing to sign a long-term deal with the Vegas Golden Knights “fake information.” He added that he would “never handcuff” general manager Craig Conroy in such a fashion. Daniel Austin of The Calgary Sun wrote that “the most likely outcome” of Andersson’s situation (he is a pending UFA) is that the Flames trade the defenseman before the trade deadline, and doing so would likely pave the way for even more ice time for star prospect Zayne Parekh. Parekh is a dynamic offensive defenseman who is set to enter his first NHL campaign, assuming he can earn a job on the club’s season-opening roster.

Islanders Notes: Duclair, Horvat, Barzal, Varlamov

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Veteran winger Anthony Duclair was among the centerpiece additions of the New York Islanders’ 2024 offseason, signing a four-year, $3.5MM contract with the team. His first campaign on Long Island fell well short of expectations, though, and today Duclair shared some more detail on what happened in 2024-25 with The Hockey News’ Stefen Rosner. Duclair said that he tore his groin “right off the bone” in the fifth game of last season, and was initially given a four-to-six week timeline. But after almost four weeks, Duclair’s injury still had not healed, and according to Duclair, he “ended up playing too early.”

As a result, Duclair said the injury “hindered [him] the rest of the season,” to the point where he says he “basically played on one leg.” Duclair’s box score numbers last season were well below his career standards – his seven goals and 11 points across 44 games is a far cry from the 24 goals, 42 points he managed the year prior. Thankfully for Duclair, he told the media today that he feels he is at 100% health heading into Islanders training camp, and the Islanders will need him in his best form if they’re going to be able to return to the playoffs after falling short in 2024-25.

Some other notes from Long Island:

  • Islanders head coach Patrick Roy spoke to the media today, including team reporter Rachel Luscher, and shed some light on how he views his team’s lineup heading into camp. He told the media that his plan is to begin camp with Bo Horvat centering new offseason additions Jonathan Drouin and Maxim Shabanov. Roy’s comments are notable due to the fact that Horvat had previously spent significant time centering star Mathew Barzal. Drouin, 30, signed a two-year, $4MM AAV deal in New York and scored 11 goals, 37 points in just 43 games last season. Shabanov, 24, is entering his first pro season in North America and managed 23 goals and 67 points across 65 regular-season games in the KHL.
  • With Shabanov and Drouin occupying spots alongside Horvat, that leaves Barzal likely to begin training camp back at his natural position of center. While Roy did emphasize that lineup decisions, especially so early in training camp, remain fluid, Barzal is expected to begin camp centering captain Anders Lee and veteran Kyle Palmieri. Barzal has done some of his best work in the NHL at the center position, including Calder Trophy-winning rookie campaign that saw him score 85 points in 82 games.
  • Roy also updated the media of the status of veteran netminder Semyon Varlamov, who remains under contract through 2026-27 at a $2.75MM cap hit. Injury limited Varlamov to just 10 appearances last season, and the Islanders turned to SHL import Marcus Hogberg in his absence. Roy said today that while Varlamov has begun skating, his status for training camp remains to be determined. Should Varlamov be unable to resume his role as the club’s backup, Hogberg will compete with offseason addition David Rittich for the spot behind starter Ilya Sorokin. Although Hogberg has the advantage over Rittich in that he has already spent a year with the Islanders, Rittich is the more NHL-experienced netminder of the two and his $1MM cap hit suggests he should be viewed as the front-runner to win the role entering training camp.

Denton Mateychuk, Four Others Injured To Start Blue Jackets Training Camp

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The Columbus Blue Jackets have plans to ease top defense prospect Denton Mateychuk up to speed at the start of training camp as he recovers from a groin injury, per general manager Don Waddell in a recent conversation with Aaron Portzline of The Athletic. Portzline added that forwards Jordan Dumais (lower-body) and Max McCue (undisclosed) will both be day-to-day with injury, forward Owen Sillinger (knee) will be held out of contact all camp, and defenseman Luca Marrelli (shoulder) will be out until December. All five players are listed on Columbus’ training camp roster.

This news will make Mateychuk worth that much more attention at this year’s camp. He was generally injury-free during his first pro season, which spanned 27 AHL games and 45 NHL games last season. Mateychuk posted four goals and 13 points in a Blue Jackets jersey, along with 25 points in the minor-leagues. It was an incredibly productive year for the 2022 12th-overall selection, and one that sets him up well to break into the NHL full-time this season. Mateychuk will boast clear top-four upside when he lands with the Blue Jackets, after averaging 18 minutes of ice time last season. He should be a strong option to play behind top defender Zach Werenski, and next to shutdown defender Ivan Provorov.

Columbus’ remaining injuries will help shape the minor-league roster to start the year. Sillinger held a prominent role in the AHL and seems near the top of Columbus’ call-up sheet entering the new year, though he’ll need to fully recover from a late-season injury before he can prove his NHL worthiness. Marrelli and Dumais have each signed their entry-level contracts, though only Marrelli will be eligible to return to the CHL. That will be his likeliest outcome, while Dumais will look to fully stride into the pro ranks after netting 11 points in 21 AHL games last season. Dumais should sit atop the AHL lineup next season, while McCue – another first-year pro who recorded eight points and 122 penalty minutes in 46 AHL games last season – will sit near the bottom of the lineup.

Canadiens Discussing Extension For Kent Hughes, Jeff Gorton

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The Montreal Canadiens are working on contract extensions for general manager Kent Hughes and executive vice president Jeff Gorton, per Renaud Lavoie of TVA Sports. Gorton’s contract is set to expire at the end of the season, while Hughes is signed through the 2026-27 season, per reports from Sportsnet.

The duo has led Montreal down the course of a rapid rebuild, from the point of three last-place finishes in the Atlantic Division to a surprise playoff bid at the end of last season. That surge has been entirely driven by the additions Hughes has made to the Canadiens lineup. Emerging star defenseman Lane Hutson and 2022 first-overall pick Juraj Slafkovsky – both brought in by Hughes – ranked third and fourth on the team in scoring last season. Hutson even earned the Calder Trophy as the league’s top rookie, after becoming just the second rookie defender to ever reach 60 assists. One of the two players to outscore the young stars was top winger Cole Caufield, who Hughes inked to a lucrative eight-year, $62.8MM contract extension in the summer of 2023.

Solidifying the core pieces of a lineup capable of a playoff push would be enough to earn any rookie GM a new deal. But it’s Hughes’ brazen confidence in making moves that’s truly stood apart from the rest. He continued to make notable additions throughout this summer, on the heels of a big year. Hughes acquired top defenseman Noah Dobson from the New York Islanders in June, and acquired former first-round pick Zachary Bolduc from the St. Louis Blues on the heels of a 19-goal season. Both additions could have major ramifications on the Canadiens’ lineup next season. Dobson – who posted 70 points in the 2023-24 season – should find a comfortable role at the top of Montreal’s depth chart; while Bolduc will offer a reliable goal-scoring punch from the third-line.

Hughes’ sheer confidence is most readily apparent in the draft. He’s already landed a draft-day steal for the ages in the young Hutson, who fell to 62nd-overall in 2022 despite being lauded as a first-round talent to many public scouts. Hughes also drafted highly-acclaimed goalie prospect Jacob Fowler, NHL legacy centerman Aatos Koivu, and highly-skilled but undersized dynamo L.J. Mooney in the middle-rounds of the last three drafts. He also landed superstar Russian scorer Ivan Demidov with the fifth-overall pick in 2024. Many fans have already questioned how Demidov slipped to the end of the top-five, and he’ll be a front-runner for the Calder Trophy this season, after posting 49 points in 65 KHL games last summer.

No matter how the 2025-26 season goes, it seems hard to deny that Montreal is headed for a bright future. The Canadiens’ roster is expected to enter the season with the youngest average age in the league after having the second-youngest team last year. Despite that, they’ll be popular underdog candidates to break into the postseason once again next summer. A big year out of Hutson, Demidov, and even AHL starter Fowler could go far in showing Hughes what pieces he’ll be working with throughout the next decade. Then, a hardy extension from the Montreal ownership will ensure he stays connected to what he’s built. So long as they stay at the helm, Hughes and Gorton will face the difficult task of extending Hutson, Kirby Dach, and Patrik Laine among others next summer.

Mathew Barzal Ready For Islanders Training Camp

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Star New York Islanders forward Mathew Barzal will be ready for full involvement in the team’s upcoming training camp, per a recent interview with Stefen Rosner of The Hockey News. He will return after missing 52 games of last season with an upper-body injury early in the year, and a season-ending knee-injury in February. Barzal told Rosner that he’s embraced a strong mindset in the wake of the significant injury. He said:

When you have an injury like the one I did, you can go two ways with it mentally. You can kinda sulk in it, let it kinda own you. And it did early on… but then you flip a switch and you put everything into rehab and getting better. Mentally, it’s just a matter of doing whatever it takes to get back to being the player I was

Barzal performed like New York’s top forward through the mix of injuries last year. He began the season with five points in 10 games, while averaging more than 21 minutes a night, before injury forced him to miss all of November and the first half of December. He returned to scoring quickly once he was back to full health, netting 15 points in 20 games between December 15th and February 1st. But an injury sustained on a blocked shot against the Tampa Bay Lightning proved too much to overcome. What was initially prognosed as a six-week injury turned into a minor surgery that required all summer to recover from. His season ended with six goals and 20 points in 30 games, or an 82-game scoring pace of 55 points.

An injury-riddled season was the last thing Barzal needed after reclaiming the Islanders’ scoring title in the 2023-24 season. He scored 23 goals and 80 points in as many games that year, marking the most Barzal had scored since he posted 85 points in his Calder Trophy-winning season in 2017-18. That performance was, itself, a solid comeback season after Barzal missed 24 games of the 2022-23 season with a separate knee injury. He had scored 51 points in 58 games prior to that injury.

Excitement for Barzal’s return will be a feeling shared by team, fans, and player. The 28-year-old told Rosner that he would be open to playing throughout the lineup, and mentioned that he enjoyed playing on the wing of Bo Horvat. Barzal shared roughly 71 percent of his ice time with Horvat between 2023 and 2025. Together, the two were on-ice for a tremendous 121-to-70 goal differential and 115-to-76 expected goal differential, per NaturalStatTrick. Horvat dropped to a negative goal-differential (83-to-109) in his minutes away from Barzal, likely speaking to the Islanders’ odds of reconnecting the duo next season.

Then again, New York wields a much sharper lineup than when Barzal last played. The squad, commanded by rookie general manager Mathieu Darche, has reeled in multiple new faces – including Jonathan Drouin, Maxim Shabanov, and Emil Heineman. All three forwards offer interesting upside, and wing depth, that could better define Barzal’s long-term role at either center or wing. One of the three will likely join him on the team’s top power-play unit as well. Those changes, plus the excitement of 2025 first-overall pick Matthew Schaefer, will bring Barzal to a Islanders lineup with much more upside than the one that he left behind last season.

Hall Of Fame Goaltender Ed Giacomin Passes Away At 86

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Legendary New York Rangers goaltender Ed Giacomin has passed away at the age of 86. He blazed through a highly-successful NHL career from 1965 to 1978, split between 10 years with the Rangers and three years with the Detroit Red Wings. Giacomin was inducted into the Hockey Hall Of Fame in 1987. The Rangers’ retired his jersey number, No. 1, two years later.

Giacomin began his professional career in the Eastern Hockey League (EHL) in 1959, and more formally in the early days of the AHL in 1960. He earned the Providence Reds’ starting role in his very first season, and quickly took on a full workload – up to 69 games in the 1963-64 season. After four years of successful play in the minors, Giacomin joined the New York Rangers for the 1965-66 season, and became an NHL standout nearly right away.

He posted an 8-19-7 record and .883 save percentage in his NHL rookie season – his only negative record in a Rangers jersey. New York offered him a brief stint as the starter from November to January of his first year, a role that Giacomin would take over fully in the 1966-67 campaign. He led the league with 68 starts that season, and earned an All-Star bid on the back of a 30-27-11 record and .917 save percentage. Those marks, complimented by an incredible nine shutouts, earned Giacomin a second-place finish in Hart Memorial Trophy voting in 1967. He was only beat out by Stan Mikita, but still became the first goalie to rank in the top-three of Hart voting since Terry Sawchuk finished third in 1963, and Jacques Plante won the award in 1962.

A near-MVP finish cemented Giacomin as a pillar of the Rangers lineup. He rivaled 70 games a season through 1970. He posted wins in at least half of his games and a save percentage north of .910 in every year. Those numbers held high even as his starts began to dwindle entering his 30s. Giacomin posted a 27-10-7 record, .922 save percentage, and eight shutouts in the 1970-71 season – enough to win the Vezina Trophy alongside batterymate Gilles Villemure. His role would continue to dwindle through 1975.

New York opted to place him on waivers ahead of the 1975-76 season. The Red Wings, looking for a backup to fellow Hall Of Fame goaltender Jim Rutherford, placed a claim. With that, Giacomin wrapped up his career with three seasons in a menial role in Detroit.

Giacomin retired in 1978. He concluded with a 290-209-96 record and .902 save percentage through 610 games, and 13 seasons, in the NHL. Despite multiple years of Hart Trophy votes, and five years of All-Star bids, Giacomin’s Vezina win marked the only hardware of his career. He did, however, leave behind a lasting legacy on the scoresheet – boasting the second-most shutouts (54) and third-most wins (290) of any goalie between 1960 and 1980. His only rivals in the  record books were Tony Esposito and Bernie Parent. Chants of “Eddie, Eddie, Eddie” rang loud through the early days of hockey at Madison Square Garden. His brazen athleticism and steady focus were the calling cards of a career later enshrined by the NHL.

Giacomin continued to fill roles in the hockey world after retirement. He served as the New York Islanders’ broadcaster for the 1978-79 season, and spent multiple years as an assistant coach and goalie coach for both the Rangers and Red Wings. He was only the second player to have his number retired by the Rangers.

Canadiens Expect Kirby Dach To Be Ready For Start Of Season

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The Canadiens are banking on having center Kirby Dach available for their opening night lineup after he underwent surgery on his right knee in February, EVP of hockey operations Jeff Gorton told Renaud Lavoie of TVA Sports. Sportsnet’s Eric Engels adds he’s recovered enough to participate in training camp when it starts later this week, although it’s unclear if that’s in a contact capacity.

By all indications, the 24-year-old’s recovery from a second major surgery on his right knee in as many years has been as smooth as can be hoped. He was on the ice late last month for an informal skate in full gear, although that didn’t subject him to the pace and veracity of a formal camp session. Still, being back on the ice at around the five-month mark should be a good omen.

Montreal hopes a healthy Dach is also an improved one. He’s now entering his fourth season with the Habs after they acquired the 2019 third overall pick from the Blackhawks at the 2022 draft. He still hasn’t reached the heights and promise he offered during his first year north of the border, when he managed a 14-24–38 scoring line and averaged a hearty 18:30 per game despite injuries limiting him to 58 appearances.

In the last two years, his right knee issues have limited him to 59 games, scoring only 10 goals and 24 points with a -27 rating. He produced at a 54-point clip per 82 games back in 2022-23 but has only scored at a 33-point pace since. He also had some of the worst defensive impacts on the team last year before his season ended prematurely. Despite receiving the most sheltered even-strength minutes of his career by a wide margin, starting over 63% of his shifts in the offensive zone, Montreal controlled only 44.8% of shot attempts and 46.0% of expected goals with him on the ice. Posting below team-average possession numbers with that degree of sheltering is a rather significant red flag.

That’s not exactly the type of player a team with playoff aspirations wants centering their second line, particularly with a rookie Ivan Demidov likely to start the year on his flank. Nonetheless, their lack of offseason activity at forward hasn’t left them with many other options. It’ll be some combination of him, trade pickup Zachary Bolduc, and Alex Newhook – all promising young players with spotty or non-existent track records at center – competing for that 2C slot. Might bottom-six staple Jake Evans get a look at an expanded role coming off a career-high 36 points?

Which Defensemen Should The Red Wings Target?

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The Detroit Red Wings haven’t reached the playoffs in nearly ten years and are at a pivotal point after a season of highs and lows last year. They remained relatively quiet this summer, but they did address some goaltending concerns by adding John Gibson. While he is expected to bring more stability in goal, Detroit still needs to strengthen other areas, especially defensively, where its core could benefit from an upgrade.

Ideally, the Red Wings would have already acquired a right-shot defenseman capable of playing in their top four and logging significant minutes while generating offense from the back end. Detroit already has Moritz Seider on the right side, but adding a veteran with some playoff experience could help their inexperienced star while adding a bit of leadership to a team that hasn’t experienced regular-season success in years. Detroit needs to balance veteran stability with the potential of its young players without blocking any of their development pathways. This challenging balancing act will affect all of the Red Wings’ future decisions and may have already influenced them this summer, as Detroit stayed relatively quiet.

Detroit did add a right-shot defender this summer by signing Jacob Bernard-Docker to a one-year deal worth $875K. Bernard-Docker was a first-round pick of the Ottawa Senators (chosen 26th overall in 2018), but he hasn’t yet proven himself as a regular NHL player. He isn’t the answer to Detroit’s top four concerns on the right side, and if he is put there, the team’s defense could run into serious problems next season. There’s nothing inherently wrong with using a player with Bernard-Docker’s skill set, but he isn’t what Detroit needs for their top two pairings.

The same can be said for another right-shot defender Detroit signed this summer, Travis Hamonic. At 35 years old, he didn’t look like an NHL defenseman last season and was a drag on anyone he paired with. Still, his signing shows Detroit’s desperation to add depth on their right side, which might be a futile effort at this point, considering they have a lot of below-replacement-level talent in the pipeline.

Unfortunately for them, an impact right-shot defender is one of the most complex player types to acquire in today’s NHL. Each year, teams overpay for righties – a pertinent case study being someone like Matt Dumba, who earned $7.5MM last summer on a two-year deal only to be traded away this summer with a sweetener.

Detroit has nearly $12MM in cap space available for the upcoming season, per PuckPedia. They also possess almost a full slate of draft picks for the next three seasons, except for their 2027 second-rounder, along with a top-five prospect pool, according to Scott Wheeler of The Athletic. They could easily target a player like Rasmus Andersson of the Calgary Flames, who is a realistic option and would provide the Red Wings with a smooth puck mover that could add a dynamic element to their defense.

Such a move involves significant risk, chiefly concerning Andersson’s contract situation. The 28-year-old has one year remaining on his deal and might be interested in exploring free agency. The Red Wings would likely want to negotiate an extension before completing a trade, which also carries risks given that Andersson is coming off a trying 2024-25 campaign in his own end and may not even want to entertain a long-term commitment to a team that’s not a surefire contender. While Andersson won’t suddenly turn Detroit into a Stanley Cup challenger, he could support their efforts to return to the playoffs.

If the Wings wanted to scout emerging talents, they could consider Brandt Clarke of the Los Angeles Kings or Bowen Byram of the Buffalo Sabres. It’s challenging to see Buffalo trading Byram within their division, but stranger things have happened. The perception of Byram is much more favorable than his on-ice impact. In other words, he has all the qualities you’d want in a top-four defenseman, but his actual results don’t match that. Byram has found it challenging to drive play independently, and given his market value, acquiring him might not be the best move for the Red Wings. Byram signed a two-year extension this summer at $6.5MM per season and will likely demand a higher price on a long-term deal, considering how he is perceived league-wide.

Clarke presents an interesting option, especially if he is to be acquired to bolster the top four. The 22-year-old was drafted eighth overall in the 2021 NHL Entry Draft and had a solid offensive season last year, with five goals and 28 assists in 78 games. While those stats are respectable for a player logging just over 16 minutes per night, they don’t tell the whole story. Clarke was a healthy scratch a few times last season and was heavily sheltered by the Kings. There’s no doubt about Clarke’s offensive talent, but his defensive play is definitely a concern. If Detroit were to acquire him and pair him with Simon Edvinsson, it could greatly benefit Clarke. However, that would mean pairing Ben Chiarot with Seider on the top pairing, which should be avoided. Putting Chiarot and Clarke together would likely be disastrous, exposing the challenges Detroit faces with its defensive core.

And then there’s Erik Karlsson of the Pittsburgh Penguins, who is very much available but would need to waive his no-move clause to be traded anywhere. Karlsson has been linked to the Red Wings recently, but it’s hard to gauge if he would want to move to the Motor City. However, he would bring offense to Detroit’s defense and could help ignite the attack.

But, with acquiring Karlsson, Detroit would face similar issues with Chiarot or Edvinsson. Bringing in Karlsson would make headlines, but it wouldn’t elevate Detroit into the top tier of NHL teams. Karlsson remains a household name and has a certain cachet, but he isn’t the three-time Norris Trophy winner he once was and is unlikely to revert to that peak of performance. He would improve Detroit’s scoring, potentially moving its offense towards the middle of the league. Still, the cost and the defensive issues caused by Karlsson’s aggressive style might outweigh the benefits, especially on a team with no high-end shutdown talent.

Finally, if Red Wings general manager Steve Yzerman wants to focus on a defensive player, he could consider Connor Murphy of the Chicago Blackhawks. The 32-year-old offers little offensively, never surpassing 20 points in a season, but he plays a solid defensive game and could help stabilize a second pairing. Murphy isn’t going to generate plays, but he can handle tough matchups, block shots, and is generally effective in his own zone. His skill set might not be exactly what the Red Wings need on their backend, but they could do worse than him on the trade market.

None of these moves guarantees a win for Detroit, and each one involves considerable risk, but so does every trade. After missing the playoffs for nine consecutive seasons and having a cautious summer, Detroit may need to take a bold step to move forward. Of course, GM Steve Yzerman must weigh the cost of trading prospects or draft picks against the immediate benefits of boosting his defense. Whatever Yzerman decides, his next moves could shape the team’s future for years. He has options, but none are particularly ideal.

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