Entering Monday atop the NHL’s Atlantic Division, the Detroit Red Wings have been one of the league’s biggest surprises on the ice. And with all of their cap space and draft capital available, the Red Wings could also pull off a surprisinly big deal (or two) before the trade deadline to help solidify a run through the playoffs.
Per Puckpedia, the Red Wings currently have the second-most projected cap space ($26.65 million) of any team, just behind the Chicago Blackhawks ($27.16 million). And with first-round picks available in the next three drafts, the Red Wings could put together an enviable package to bring in a star player without needing to shed salary.
In recent years, that may have been a tough sell for general manager Steve Yzerman, who has been criticized for underwhelming deadline activity while presiding over a Red Wings team that hasn’t made the playoffs since the 2015-16 season. That criticism boiled over in 2025, when a Red Wings team fighting for a playoff spot added 35-year-old center Craig Smith and 33-year-old goalie Petr Mrázek as their defining deadline moves.
Neither player made a big impact in Detroit as the Red Wings finished six points short of a playoff berth.
In some ways, this Red Wings team looks a lot like the one from last season, with Yzerman presiding over a team with interesting prospects and room for a star skater. But there are two big reasons why Yzerman might be more aggressive at the 2026 deadline than he was in 2025.
For one, the Red Wings are 12 points better and six places higher in the Atlantic Division standings 46 games into the season, putting them in a better position to not only make the playoffs, but potentially make a deep playoff run. For another, the Atlantic is the most tightly packed in the NHL, with just seven points separating the first-place Red Wings and the sixth-place Maple Leafs entering Monday.
And if you want a third reason, the Red Wings have just a plus-3 goal differential, worse than all but the bottom two teams in the division (Florida Panthers, Ottawa Senators both at minus-7). Goal differential isn’t necessarily a better determination of a team’s quality than wins and losses, but it could show the Red Wings aren’t as good as their record indicates.
With all of that taken into account, Adam Proteau of The Hockey News thinks the Red Wings are one of the teams best suited to compile a big package before the trade deadline.