The Detroit Red Wings have been hunting for a way to break out of the middle and get back to the playoffs, and a potential path may be sitting in Seattle.
That’s the read coming out of Elliotte Friedman’s season-ending appearance on Sportsnet’s 32 Thoughts podcast, where he ran through teams around the league and flagged the Kraken as a club worth watching for Detroit. Friedman said Seattle could be open to moving goal-scoring winger Jared McCann and defenseman Vince Dunn, with both players entering the final years of their contracts. The idea, according to Friedman, is to turn either veteran into pieces that can jump right into the lineup.
For the Red Wings, that kind of setup fits. Detroit has built up a deep pool of young talent, both in the NHL and on the way, along with a stockpile of draft picks that could give Seattle the kind of return it’s looking for. Names such as Emmitt Finnie, Michael Brandsegg-Nygård and Eddie Genborg were mentioned as possible trade chips, and Albert Johansson could also be part of a package if the fit made sense.
McCann would bring the kind of scoring Detroit has been trying to add. The 30-year-old missed 30 games this past season but still put up 20 goals and 20 assists for 40 points in 52 games.
When healthy, the Stratford, Ontario native has reached at least 50 points in five straight seasons. He’d give the Wings an immediate lift in the top six.
Dunn would fill another obvious need. Detroit’s only notable left-shot defenseman right now is Simon Edvinsson, and bringing in Dunn would let Ben Chiarot move down to a third-pairing role. Dunn, 29, has already shown what he can do offensively from the blue line, posting a career-high 64 points in 2022-23 and then following that with steady 40-point production over the last three seasons.
There’s also the Seattle side of the equation. Friedman noted that the Kraken like to see themselves as a place where younger players can find a bigger role, which lines up with the idea of dealing established veterans for prospects and futures.
One other name in the mix is Shane Wright. At 22, he still hasn’t fully settled in at the NHL level.
His rookie year offered plenty of promise with 19 goals and 25 assists for 44 points in 79 games, but his sophomore season dipped to 27 points in 74 games. Around the league, some believe Wright has lost confidence, and a change of scenery could be exactly what he needs.
For a patient team, he looks like a buy-low swing.
Detroit is reportedly exploring several options this offseason, and one of them could easily run through Seattle if the Red Wings decide McCann, Dunn or even Wright is the right kind of target.
In Other News...
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The numbers only sharpen that caution. Second-round selections from 2011 to 2020 have turned into regular NHL players only about 30 to 34 percent of the time, while even late first-rounders are hardly locks. That is why teams keep treating premium centers like assets you do not replace with a stack of futures unless the offer is loaded with real certainty. For Detroit, it is another reminder that any Larkin package would have to be built around proven help, not just the promise of what might develop years down the road. [Read more 🡒]
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Lucas Raymond, meanwhile, is moving into the third season of his eight-year extension and was recently seen alongside Edvinsson and Rasmus Dahlin at a Luke Combs concert, a reminder of how intertwined these young Swedish stars remain away from the rink. For Detroit, the bigger question is how quickly the Edvinsson situation settles, because every passing week keeps the focus on a player whose next step matters to the roster and to the teams long-term plans. [Read more 🡒]
Red Wings Offseason Is Stuck On One Massive Unresolved Situation
Dylan Larkins situation has become the kind of offseason hold-up that can shape everything else around it. The Red Wings captain remains at the center of a trade discussion with Steve Yzerman, and until there is clarity on where that goes, Detroits roster picture stays a little blurry. It is the sort of unresolved business that hangs over a teams summer, especially when the player involved is still under contract and the front office is trying to map out the next step without forcing the issue.
Yzerman does have time to work through it, with months still left to find a deal that makes sense for the organization. The wrinkle is that Detroit is not approaching this like a standard futures swap, which narrows the field and makes the negotiation more delicate. If nothing comes together, Larkin could still be on the roster when the season opens, a possibility that keeps this from being a clean break and leaves the Red Wings waiting on a decision that could define the direction of the whole offseason. [Read more 🡒]