What does the Red Wings' rise mean for the NHL trade deadline?

A lot has changed for the Detroit Red Wings over the past month.

With a new head coach has come a new energy, some new key contributors and, suddenly, a new outlook for the season.

The Red Wings woke up in Edmonton on Thursday just 2 points out of a playoff spot.

But with the NHL trade deadline set for March 7, just five weeks away, an increasingly important question is, What does it all mean for general manager Steve Yzermans plans? Advertisement Theres still plenty of time before the deadline, of course, for Detroits play to dictate the answer.

But the five-week marker is also a bit deceiving.

With the 4 Nations Face-Off break built in, only 12 games remain between now and March 7.

The Red Wings will get some extra information before making their deadline decisions, but they wont get much.

As close as the Red Wings are to the playoff cutoff, their odds of getting there remain long: MoneyPuck has them at 27.5 percent, and The Athletic s Dom Luszczyszyn puts them even lower at 5 percent.

Thats largely a product of how many teams are still in the mix: Six teams are within 4 points of the final East wild-card spot.

So unless something significant changes in those 12 games, it would be hard for Yzerman to justify pursuing any rental players.

And his approach last season tells us thats unlikely: Detroit went into the 2024 deadline occupying a playoff spot with a 33-23-6 record, but the GM effectively stood pat .

His only move was shipping out forward Klim Kostin to clear future cap space.

The Red Wings, of course, came up a tiebreaker short of the playoffs at seasons end.

And their finish brought an injection of excitement into the city.

But looking back a year later, Yzerman was probably right not to spend picks or prospects on a rental upgrade for that team.

And chances are as much as the team has won since Todd McLellan arrived hell come to the same conclusion about this years group.

Its also hard to see a major sell-off for the Red Wings especially if they stay in the playoff mix but even if they start to slip.

Detroit just doesnt have many major pending UFAs to dangle.

The club could draw interest in goaltender Alex Lyon or penalty killers such as Christian Fischer or Tyler Motte .

Patrick Kane would surely appeal to teams if he wanted to waive his no-trade clause (which is far from a given).

But the Red Wings arent looking like a major seller.

For all those reasons, it could wind up being another quiet deadline in Detroit with one possible exception.

Last year, dealing Kostin was an underwhelming move, but it had a purpose: setting up the Red Wings for their offseason.

By moving Kostin, Detroit shifted $2 million off its cap sheet, getting a head start on some cap-clearing moves this past summer.

That proved important for signing Lucas Raymond and Moritz Seider long-term to deals that already look like steals.

Advertisement The Red Wings didnt spend all their money perfectly (the Vladimir Tarasenko deal in particular is looking troublesome), but the point is they used the last trade deadline to look ahead.

And while shedding more money could certainly be an approach they take this time around, the more interesting proposition might be if they can use the deadline to swing a hockey deal that helps set up their roster for next season.

There are two or three clear needs for Detroit going into next season.

Marco Kasper s breakout next to Dylan Larkin and Lucas Raymond has certainly provided a spark on that top line, and its at least possible hell stay there going into next season.

Detroit also might move him back to his natural position at center.

But one way or another, the Red Wings could stand to add a top-six forward to help round out their top two lines.

Ideally, that player would probably have some size, to help complement Detroits existing skill players, though combining size with the offensive skill needed to play in the top six would be key.

Some of this, too, depends on what the future holds for Kane, a pending UFA who could either stay in Detroit or go elsewhere.

If he were to leave, the Red Wings would be down one of their best playmakers and a key piece of their power play.

That would represent another potential need, albeit a less certain one.

They also could stand to add a defenseman, although Albert Johansson s emergence in the second half of the season gives them a little flexibility.

Johansson can play either side and is holding his own on the Red Wings second pair, but adding another top-four D could allow Johansson to be more favorably deployed against third-pair matchups.

As for who could fill those needs, though, its a lot less certain.

By now, youve surely heard the reporting and speculation connecting Detroit to Buffalo Sabres center Dylan Cozens .

Cozens would check the boxes for size and offense in a top-six forward, and hes a natural center.

But he also comes with a $7.1 million cap hit through 2030 a big ticket for a player with 26 points in 50 games and plays for a Buffalo team that is similarly trying to win sooner rather than later.

That doesnt make for an easy deal.

A blockbuster involving the Vancouver Canucks Elias Pettersson , who has become one of the hottest names in the rumor mill of late, wouldnt be easy either.

Advertisement The New York Rangers KAndre Miller would be an interesting target on the blue line as a young pending RFA with a lot of the traits the Red Wings have gravitated toward in defensemen.

But New York has already made two deals to shake up its dressing room this season dealing Jacob Trouba and Kaapo Kakko and the Rangers might not be inclined to move the young defender with Ryan Lindgren already set to be a UFA this summer.

It might be that a hockey deal at this time of year is just too tricky to pull off.

Or perhaps the Red Wings will decide they want to let this current group which has won 11 of its last 15 ride without too much tinkering.

But if Detroit can find a player who fills one of those needs and makes it better for this season and beyond, it could be the key to a more eventful trade deadline this time around.

(Top photo: Tim Fuller / Imagn Images).

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