Trade Deadline 2023: Red Wings Add for Present and for Future

2022-23 has been a dream season for Red Wings Nation… so far. The team started strong and has sat in a playoff position all season, currently top 5 in the league and top 2 in the division. The Red Wings went into the season with a strong team and GM Evans made a few in-season trades between late December and early March to fill some perceived roster needs and to maximize value from players that were sitting or not being fully utilized:
-Rental top 3 defenseman Brady Skjei was acquired from Minnesota for young defenseman Conor Timmins plus breakout prospect Cruz Lucius and depth prospect Albert Sjoberg
-Kevin Rooney, a frequent healthy scratch, was sent to Edmonton for 22 year old Russian defenseman Daniil Misyul
-Prospects Julian Lutz, and Gannon Laroque were swapped for former Red Wing draft pick Henry Thrun and 2023 BUF 5^th
-Versatile veteran forward Boone Jenner was added along with 2024 VAN 6^th for underutilized young defenseman Dante Fabbro and 2024 DET 2^nd.
-Veteran forward Carl Hagelin, who had lost his job to Tomas Nosek, and David Rittich, who had been signed in-season but was buried down the depth chart, were sent out for 2024 VAN 4^th
-Top 6 winger Nikolai Ehlers, a former Red Wings pick many years ago who had been traded as part of the Jack Eichel deal before ever playing a game for the franchise, was acquired in exchange for top 9 forward Ryan Hartman, who had struggled to stay out of the penalty box in limited minutes, plus young forwards Alexey Toropchenko and Nolan Foote, 2023 SJS 2^nd, 2023 ANA 4^th, and rental forward Tomas Nosek
-Minor leaguers Alex Green and Tyler Sikura were swapped
-Minor league goalie Hunter Shephard was sent to Edmonton for a conditional 6^th round pick

When asked about his mid-season trades, GM Evans said: “By making a few big adds early, like Skjei, Jenner, and Ehlers, it let us evaluate a number of roster combinations and get a clearer picture of what works and what doesn’t going into playoffs. I liked the idea of adding a good two way dman like Skei to pair with Burns or Faulk, a good offensive top six winger like Ehlers, and a good two way forward like Jenner. Ehlers is signed for three years, and Jenner is signed for a two at a bargain rate.”

Heading into this trade deadline season, the Detroit Red Wings sat in an enviable position: a top 5 record, a roster loaded with talented players, Connor freaking McDavid, two solid goalies, and a prospect pool with four young players having breakout years and increasing their trade value in Dumais, Zellweger, Berggren, and Firkus. With this level of roster flexibility, the Red Wings’ front office had the roster and assets to take any direction: add aggressively, add on the fringes, stand pat, or some mix of buying and selling. Know GM Evans’ track record, a mix was probably a safe bet.

The trade deadline season started out with a bang on March 8^th with a trifecta of trades. By this point the Red Wings had determined that Brady Skjei wasn’t actually a superior option to the guy he had been brought in to upgrade on – Dysin Mayo. GM Evans decided to use this as an opportunity to pivot and turn him into tradeable assets, that could then be used to add in other areas. Brady Skjei, bubble forward Mike Hardman, and young AHL goalie Kyle Keyser were sent to San Jose for a haul of future pieces and a cap dump: 2024 SJS 1^st, two 2024 4^th round picks, two 2024 5^th round picks, Ludwig Persson, Daniil Orlov, and Mike Smith. Not long after, Mike Smith was dumped off to Vegas along with minor league rookie Bobby Trivigno and 2024 VAN 6^th. Then, just before the end of the day, the Red Wings sent prospects Mattias Havelid and Leon Gawanke for prospects Alexander Nikishin, Frederic Brunet, and 2023 BUF 6^th.

When interviewed on the whirlwind day of trading GM Evans commented “Skjei wasn’t clicking so I felt we were better off using him as a trade chip. I was happy with what we were able to get for him, but I still wish he would have clicked here. Nikishin is a player our scouts have identified as a top target after his breakout year in the KHL. He has the potential to be an impact guy for us in another couple seasons and we’re prepared to wait. We added some useful prospect and draft capital here.”

Ten days later, and 5 days before the trade deadline, GM Evans was able to strike a pair of massive franchise-shifting deals on the same day - first with divisional rival Montreal and then with frequent trading partner Minnesota.

In a bold risk for both teams, the Red Wings sent an absolute haul of prospects to Montreal, headlined by the small but ultra-talented Jordan Dumais and Olen Zellweger, along with skilled rookie winger Jonatan Berggren, A-/B+ prospects Jagger Firkus and Henry Thrun, and 2024 SJS 1^st, acquired in the Skjei deal, in exchange for 23 year old top line forward Robert Thomas, 19 year old top rookie Wyatt Johnston, and 2023 FLA 5^th.

In the second blockbuster deal of the day, goalie of the future Carter Hart was traded along with Nic Perbix, the Red Wings’ gem UFA signing from last summer, 2024 DET 1^st, B+ prospect Jack Peart, C prospect Ludwig Persson for rookie sensation Jake Sanderson.

GM Evans was reached at the end of the day for comment: “My top two targets this deadline season were Wyatt Johnston and Jake Sanderson, and to land both of them, along with Robert Thomas was a huge win. These are three core pieces for us going forward and two of them will be on ELC’s for the next three years. We really pushed a lot of chips in here – we are giving up some very high upside wildcards here for proven commodities – but these are the type of moves you need to make if you’re confident you are acquiring the right players at the right time. Hart, Dumais, Zellweger, and those 1^st rounders could come back to bite us, and it’s a damn shame to lose Perbix and Thrun in particular out of the prospects.”

“Robert Thomas gives us either a top line RW, or a high end 2^nd line C for a long time. His low salary this season lets us add further depth before the deadline. Johnston and Sanderson won’t be factors this season, but they will be huge for us next year. Sanderson is already playing like a #2 defenseman and could even take a step beyond that. Johnston has a solid two way game, with 21 goals in 73 games he’s proven that he can score, and with over an assist per game last year as an 18 year old in the OHL he’s shown he has the potential to be a high end playmaker. He has all the tools of a #1 C, or at least a high end #2, and he’s already a quality 2^nd line player before his 20^th birthday.”

“Dumais and Zellweger are both having absolutely huge seasons in the CHL. Dumais turns 19 next month and just put up a 140 point season to lead the Q. He has been unbelievable this season and has the potential to be a star. Zellweger is racking up goals and points in the W, with 22 goals and 52 points in 32 games since his trade to Kamloops, and 32 goals 80 points in 55 games overall. Hart has established himself as a solid NHL starter and at 24 might have more to offer. Perbix and Berggren have looked the part of a top for defenseman and a playmaking middle six forward, respectively, this year as rookies. We moved other quality prospects as well: Firkus scored 40 goals 88 points in 66 games in the W, Thrun has been nearly a point per game in the NCAA for the past two seasons as a defenseman, recently turned 22, and just signed in the NHL, Peart has been a quality top four defenseman in his two NCAA seasons and has played at the World Juniors twice. Plus… we moved two 1^st round picks in 2024. We really emptied the farm in these two deals.”

Two days before the deadline, the Red Wings made a smaller pair of deals using some late draft picks: 2024 VAN 4^th was sent back to Vancouver for bottom six forward Sammy Blais, and 2024 MIN 5^th and Ryan Shea were sent to LA in exchange for Maatta and 2024 LAK 6^th.

By the time deadline day rolled around the Red Wings were pretty much tapped out, but GM Evans managed to make two further deals, both adding controllable prime-aged NHL players.

By trading away Carter Hart, the Red Wings had been left with no backup goalie. After a quick search of the suddenly hot goalie market, GM Evans decided to send 2024 DET 3^rd, Tyler Brennan, Daniil Orlov to Arizona for Connor Ingram – a player he had actually acquired on waivers and then waived in preseason – to fill Hart’s old spot.

At the last possible minute Detroit sent one last offer out to Minnesota, which ended up being accepted. Last summer’s top UFA signing Travis Boyd – a good soldier an effective 4^th line forward, Sammy Blais, who had been back in Detroit for all of 2 days, plus 2024 NJD 3^rd, and 2024 ARZ 4^th were sent to Minnesota for Nick Paul, a player the Red Wings had been targeting since preseason for his combination of size, defense, and offense.

At his trade deadline press conference, GM Evans summarized the state of the franchise heading into the playoffs: “With the adds of the past few days we are sitting with enough talent at every position to win it all this season. We subtracted Skjei, Hart, and Boyd, and added Thomas, Paul, Ingram and Maatta, plus Sanderson and Johnston for next season. We have ten forwards that could fill a top six spot right now, and we have two guys down in the AHL in Kakko and Cozens that can fill in as injury callups. We need to find the right mix and continue our all-hands-on-deck approach. Our record this year has been carried by the contributions of unsung heroes like Boyle, Hakanpaa, Gaudreau, and Mayo, as well as big production from the top players like McDavid, Pavelski, Lindholm, Meier, Faulk, and Burns. Jarry has been rock solid as well. We seem to have taken another step with the addition of Ehlers, and I’m hoping Thomas and Paul are more of the same.”

Editor’s note: Robert Thomas suffered a torn ACL in his 2^nd game as a Red Wing, immediately after the deadline.

-Detroit Free Press, 2023

Red Wings Roster 22-23:
Ehlers – McDavid – E Lindholm
A Svechnikov – Pavelski – Thomas
Boyle – F Gaudreau – Meier
Jenner – Paul – Hertl
Scratch: Silfverberg
AHL: Cozens, Kakko

Heiskanen – Faulk
Hakanpaa – Burns
A Carrier – Mayo
Scratch: Maatta
AHL: Moser, Irwin

Jarry
Ingram