After Dylan Larkin and Connor Hellebuyck, the real debate is which name gets moved next, and the DFO Roundtable had no shortage of ideas.
Matt Larkin went straight to Erik Karlsson, pointing to a Pittsburgh Penguins team that caught a lot of breaks last season on its way back to the playoffs. This year looks different already.
The Penguins are dealing with a growing list of absences, including injured Bryan Rust and Benjamin Kindel, plus Andrei Kuzmenko’s leave until late this week following the death of his father. If the Washington Capitals and Florida Panthers surge back into the bracket and knock out a couple of 2025-26 playoff teams in the East, Pittsburgh could be one of the clubs squeezed out.
And if that happens, Karlsson should draw plenty of attention. He’s a pending UFA, still has good hockey left, and remains a right-shot puck-mover chasing his first Stanley Cup.
Steven Ellis landed on Alex DeBrincat, and the case is simple: Detroit is struggling, and DeBrincat is exactly the kind of player contenders chase. The Red Wings winger is 28, a pending UFA, and has lived in the 40-goal neighborhood throughout his career.
Coming off his best season yet, he would be an attractive add for a legitimate contender, especially with the UFA market getting quieter as more of the top names sign early. Ellis also noted that DeBrincat could be in line for a huge payday this summer, which makes this a logical time for Detroit to consider moving him before he reaches the open market.
Paul Pidutti’s pick was Ryan O’Reilly, and he built the argument around everything that makes a rental valuable. Barry Trotz respected O’Reilly’s wish to stay beyond the 2026 Trade Deadline, but that could shift this season with his contract running through 2027.
O’Reilly checks every box: he’s an unrestricted free agent without trade protection, carries a low $4.5 Million AAV, has a Conn Smythe Trophy on his résumé, and still brings the kind of all-situations game and faceoff ability contenders pay for. Nashville isn’t expected to contend, and with the Predators building up their farm system through the draft, O’Reilly looks like the sort of player teams will bid up hard before the March 1 deadline.
Scott Maxwell took the biggest swing of the group and named Quinn Hughes. The wrinkle here is that Hughes was traded last year already, but Maxwell says the situation has shifted enough to make another move possible.
With no extension in place, the chance that Hughes wants to hold off and eventually join the New Jersey Devils to play with his brothers keeps growing. Maxwell suggested that if the Minnesota Wild continue at a slow enough pace, Bill Guerin could decide to move on from the blueliner rather than risk losing him for less than what was paid to get him.
Or the Wild could keep him through the season and sort it out on July 1. Either way, Maxwell doesn’t see the oldest brother staying in Minnesota by this time next year.
Anthony Trudeau went a different direction, arguing that Vince Dunn deserves more attention as a trade candidate. He pointed out that if Dunn had been locked into Seattle long-term, he probably would have signed three years ago.
The Kraken still haven’t reached the postseason since he signed his four-year bridge deal, and Trudeau said Seattle would be making the wrong move either way if it keeps Dunn around for seven more years just to preserve the status quo, or lets a 50-point defenseman who has handled heavy minutes walk away for nothing. He added that Jared McCann, Seattle’s all-time leading goalscorer, could also finish the final months of his contract somewhere else.
In Other News...
Dylan Larkin Trade Talk Now Hinges On One Massive Detroit Decision
Dylan Larkins trade request has turned every Detroit conversation into a search for leverage, because the Red Wings captain is not just asking out, he also holds the kind of control that narrows the field fast. The Panthers have emerged as a logical landing spot on paper, helped by Larkins familiarity with some of their players and management from past international play, and the fit is easy to understand for a club trying to stay competitive while dealing with injuries.
The harder question is what Florida would need to give up to make a deal realistic under the salary cap. Any pursuit would likely force the Panthers to move real roster money out the door, and that is where the conversation gets complicated for a contender already juggling short-term needs and long-term flexibility. For Detroit, that means the next step in the Larkin saga may hinge less on sentiment than on whether one massive decision in Florida ever gets made. [Read more 🡒]
Red Wings Just Made Their Simon Edvinsson Stance Pretty Clear
Detroits offseason picture has already shifted around Alex DeBrincats long-term extension, but the next priority on the agenda is harder to miss for a team trying to steady itself in more than one area. Interim general manager Shawn Horcoff has made it clear the Red Wings view restricted free agent Simon Edvinsson as part of the solution, not a movable piece, and that matters for a club still searching for more stability on both sides of the puck.
Edvinsson has been seen internally as a valuable defenseman who could help a group that has struggled to find consistency. The organization is still working toward getting the 23-year-old back into game action, which adds a little more urgency to the situation and makes Detroits posture around him even more telling as the roster takes shape for the next stretch. [Read more 🡒]
Red Wings Got An Encouraging Line Breakthrough But A Bigger Problem Remains
Emmitt Finnies move to center gave the Red Wings something they have been looking for, at least for a night. Playing between Michael Brandsegg-Nygard and Alex DeBrincat, Finnie helped spark a line that produced four goals in Detroits 5-4 overtime loss to the Devils, and the group looked dangerous enough to hint at a more balanced look for Todd McLellans club. Anton Johansson also picked up his first NHL point on Finnies goal, a small but meaningful moment in a game where the Wings found offense from an unexpected source.
Still, the bigger issue did not go away. Jack Hughes ended it for New Jersey in overtime, and Detroit was left with another reminder that one productive line is not enough when the rest of the lineup is uneven. McLellan has been pushing for more consistent play and more contributions across the roster, and the Red Wings will need exactly that if this breakthrough is going to mean more than a near miss. [Read more 🡒]