The Chicago Blackhawks are keeping the door wide open as they work the phones, and that includes both players and premium draft capital. According to Pierre LeBrun, GM Kyle Davidson has been talking with teams and is willing to move just about anything outside of the obvious untouchables.
That flexibility matters because Chicago is sitting on a pile of assets. The Blackhawks own three first-round picks in the June draft and two high second-rounders, including Vancouver’s, and LeBrun said plenty of those selections are available as the club looks to give its roster a jolt. The target is a scoring winger, but the market has made them adaptable.
“They’re not too picky because it’s hard to make trades this time of year. They’re pretty open-minded in trying to shake up their roster.”
Detroit is working through its own trade possibilities, and the process sounds more complicated than simple buyer-seller chatter. TSN’s Darren Dreger reported that Red Wings assistant GM Kris Draper is in California this week watching the San Jose Sharks, Anaheim Ducks, and Los Angeles Kings.
Dreger also said Shawn Horcoff, the interim general manager, and the group representing Simon Edvinsson and Dylan Larkin, CAA, are trying to build creative options for Horcoff and the Red Wings. Even so, teams interested in those players are waiting for Detroit to make its position clearer before anything can move forward.
Meanwhile, Minnesota is taking a patient approach with pending UFA defenseman Quinn Hughes. Nicholas J.
Cotsonika of NHL.com reported that Wild GM Bill Guerin said the situation remains status quo, and that he wants Hughes focused on hockey for now. Guerin said Hughes understands what’s going on.
When asked if he’d be willing to hold onto Guerin beyond the trade deadline, he said.
“Sure. “Yeah.”
Guerin also made it clear he knows exactly what Hughes means to the lineup.
“Honestly, we’re a better team with Quinn Hughes, so I mean, I want to keep him as long as I possibly can,” Guerin said. “Whether it’s three months, three years, seven years, whatever, we’re a better team with Quinn Hughes.”
In Other News...
Red Wings Get A Key Piece Back And Still Can't Stop Sliding
John Gibson was back in net for Detroit on Tuesday night, and the Red Wings got the kind of reinforcement they needed in a tight 3-2 loss to the St. Louis Blues. Gibson stopped 30 shots in his return, while Andrew Copp and Moritz Seider supplied the offense, but the result still extended Detroits slide to four straight and left the club with five losses in its last six games.
The timing makes the next stretch feel even bigger. Detroit is still working through a road trip that now heads to Florida and then Tampa Bay, and the Red Wings need more than a strong individual performance to turn things around. For a team trying to steady itself, getting a key piece back was only part of the equation, and the gap between effort and results remains the story. [Read more 🡒]
Red Wings Suddenly Have A Scoring Problem They Cant Ignore
A four-game losing streak has turned the Red Wings offense into the kind of problem that cant be brushed aside for long. Detroit has struggled to generate the confidence and finish that usually keep a team afloat, and coach Todd McLellan has already acknowledged the issue while Alex DeBrincat has pointed to the same lack of belief around the net. For a club trying to stay in the mix, the concern is not just the recent results, but how quickly the scoring touch has slipped away.
The next stretch will test whether the answer comes from inside the room or from outside it. Detroit is weighing the possibility of adding another scorer, while also looking for returning players and young pieces to help steady the attack. Marco Kasper is part of that internal hope, and prospects such as Carter Bear add another layer to the long-term picture, but the Red Wings need more immediate production before the skid becomes something bigger. [Read more 🡒]
Red Wings Depth Defenseman May Be Headed For A Familiar Exit
A familiar offseason possibility is starting to surface for one of Detroits depth defensemen, with William Lagesson drawing attention back in Sweden after spending most of the year with the Grand Rapids Griffins. The 31-year-old signed with the Red Wings as a free agent in 2024 and spent the bulk of the 2024-25 season in the AHL, while also getting into seven NHL games for Detroit along the way.
Lagessons situation adds another layer to a busy stretch of movement involving former Red Wings and prospects abroad, with Eemil Viro also in talks to stay with the Malmo Redhawks and Filip Zadina sidelined for at least a month after upper-body surgery. For Detroit, the bigger question is whether Lagessons path points to another year of organizational depth or a return overseas before the Red Wings ever get a real chance to see what he can offer beyond spot duty. [Read more 🡒]