The Detroit Red Wings find themselves in a fascinating position as the 2026 NHL Trade Deadline inches closer. With a month to go before the league’s annual flurry of roster shuffling-and a trade freeze looming from February 4 through 22 due to the Winter Olympics-the question in Hockeytown isn’t just if the Wings will make a move. It’s how bold they’re willing to be.
Since Steve Yzerman took over as general manager in April 2019, Detroit has been playing the long game. That meant building through the draft, developing talent in-house, and resisting the urge to mortgage the future for short-term fixes.
The result? One of the deepest and most promising prospect pools in the NHL.
Several of those young players have already cracked the Red Wings’ lineup or logged meaningful NHL minutes this season.
But here’s where things get interesting: the Wings are in the thick of the Atlantic Division race, and for the first time in a while, they might be buyers at the deadline. That doesn’t mean Yzerman is suddenly abandoning his blueprint-but it might mean he’s willing to tweak it.
Scouts from a wide range of NHL teams-including the Jets, Ducks, Flyers, Islanders, Canucks, Kings, Sharks, Lightning, Devils, and Senators-were recently spotted at a Grand Rapids Griffins game. That kind of turnout doesn’t happen by accident.
The Griffins, Detroit’s AHL affiliate, are loaded with intriguing young talent, and other front offices are clearly paying attention. If the Wings want to bring in an impact player for the stretch run, they’ll likely have to part with one of those prospects.
And there are names already being linked to Detroit. Forwards Jake DeBrusk and Elias Pettersson of the Vancouver Canucks have surfaced as potential targets.
Both bring offensive punch and NHL experience-exactly the kind of help a playoff-hungry team might seek. On the blue line, Logan Stanley of the Winnipeg Jets and Mario Ferraro of the San Jose Sharks have also been mentioned.
Stanley offers size and physicality, while Ferraro brings mobility and top-four upside.
Another name to watch: Luke Schenn. The veteran right-shot defenseman is on an expiring deal with the Jets, and he’s the type of player who’s built for playoff hockey-tough, experienced, and reliable in his own zone.
Of course, Yzerman’s track record suggests he won’t make a move just to make one. The price has to be right, and the fit has to make sense both now and down the road. But if the Wings are still holding strong in the Atlantic come March, this could be the year they flip the switch and push some chips into the middle.
Bottom line: Detroit’s rebuild has reached a critical juncture. With a deep farm system, a competitive NHL roster, and a fanbase hungry for postseason hockey, the Red Wings are poised to make some noise-on the ice, and maybe at the trade table, too.