Trade deadline swings are supposed to give a team a jolt. Sometimes they do the opposite.
In the last couple of seasons, a few clubs have pushed in on players they thought could help right away, only to watch the move turn into dead weight almost immediately. Detroit, Toronto, and Edmonton all took their shot. None of those bets has aged well.
Detroit’s move for Justin Faulk was the kind of deadline swing that says a lot about where a team thinks it stands. The Red Wings wanted to make a push for the playoffs, so they paid up for the St. Louis Blues defenseman, sending Justin Holl, prospect Dmitri Buchelnikov, a 2026 first-round pick, and a 2026 third-round pick.
What followed was a collapse. Detroit went 3-13-3 over its final 19 games, dropped out of the race, missed the playoffs, and then saw Steve Yzerman removed as GM this summer.
Dylan Larkin also requested a trade. It would be unfair to pin all of that on Faulk, but the deadline deal did not deliver the lift Detroit was chasing.
And because Faulk carries a $6.5 million cap hit with term, this wasn’t even a clean rental situation. The Red Wings may still try to move him this season.
Toronto had a different kind of miss with Scott Laughton. The Maple Leafs brought him in from the Philadelphia Flyers believing he could strengthen their center depth.
Instead, he played 21 games, scored five goals, and finished with eight points. Toronto gave up prospect Nikita Grebenkin and a conditional 2026 first-round pick, with the Flyers retaining 50% salary.
Then Laughton was gone. He didn’t return to the Leafs amid the offseason changes and signed a three-year deal with the Los Angeles Kings at $3.5 million per season. The result for Toronto was simple: no playoffs, and very little value before he left for nothing in return.
Edmonton’s Trent Frederic trade is the newest cautionary tale. On March 4, 2025, the Oilers landed Frederic and Max Jones from the Boston Bruins in a three-team deal that also included the New Jersey Devils.
Edmonton clearly made the move for Frederic, but Jones has been the better part of the return so far. Frederic arrived injured and never really got going.
That alone should have raised alarms, but the Oilers doubled down anyway, signing him to an eight-year extension worth $30.8 million. The early results have not been pretty.
In 2025-26, he has struggled to carve out a role, and the trade and the contract both look like mistakes right now. Edmonton gave up two draft picks and two prospects to get two players who aren’t even regulars in the lineup.
There’s still time for Frederic to change the story, but he has a lot of work to do.
In Other News...
Dylan Larkin Trade Drama Could Hinge On Another Stars Decision
The Dylan Larkin trade situation in Detroit has been tied to a broader decision in Minnesota, where Quinn Hughes is reportedly likely to re-sign but still wants a short-term contract while the Wild are pushing for something longer. That matters because Minnesota is one of the three teams Larkin has asked to be moved to, giving the Red Wings a possible landing spot that could shape the rest of their offseason if the pieces ever start moving again.
For now, though, those conversations are stuck in place. Detroits trade talks are on hold because of the freeze created while the club searches for a new director of hockey operations, leaving Larkins request in limbo and making the Wilds next move one to watch closely. If Hughes situation lands the way Minnesota wants, it could tighten the paths available to Larkin and affect how the Red Wings approach the rest of their roster decisions. [Read more 🡒]
Red Wings Fans Just Got A New Franzen Name To Watch
The Franzen name is coming back around in Detroit hockey circles, and this time it belongs to Eddie-Bo Franzen, the son of former Red Wings forward Johan Franzen. He is set to join Little Caesars 15U AAA team for the upcoming season after playing for Linkoping HCs U16 team in Sweden, giving him a new stage in a city that already knows the family name well.
For Eddie-Bo, the move also means a major adjustment on and off the ice. He will be the first Swedish player on the team and will have to get used to the smaller American rink, a change that can alter timing and space for a young defenseman or forward in a hurry. He is also set to live with former Red Wings goaltender Chris Osgood while in Detroit, adding another familiar hockey connection as he settles into the next chapter. [Read more 🡒]