In the lead-up to the 2026 Trade Deadline, the Detroit Red Wings were heavily rumored to be in pursuit of two things: a defenseman that could play on their middle pairing and a forward that could improve their top six, both preferably with term left on their deals.
As you probably know by now, general manager (GM) Steve Yzerman came out on the other side of the deadline with Justin Faulk, a defenseman who fit their needs, and David Perron, a familiar forward who does not quite check their box for a forward.
Since then, the Red Wings have suffered a series of extremely unfortunate events. Their captain and top center, Dylan Larkin, exited their 3-1 loss to the Florida Panthers on Mar. 6 (the day of the deadline) with a lower-body injury and is set to be out at least until the final week of March, and maybe more. Four days later, against that same Panthers team, their second-best center, Andrew Copp, left with an injury of his own. He appears to be on a similar timeline as Larkin.
This obviously leaves the Red Wings in a horrible position. They put themselves in a position to compete for the playoffs this season, but they are now forced to get through arguably the toughest month on the calendar without their top two centers – a tall task for any team to conquer. While the Red Wings have a lot of young talent within their organization, none of it seems ready or capable of replacing the production lost from Larkin and Copp.
This then raises the question: should Yzerman have been more aggressive in his pursuit of a top-six forward?
Hindsight is 20/20 in Detroit
Let’s get this out of the way first: if Yzerman somehow knew Larkin and Copp, of all people, would both go down within hours and days of the trade deadline, he probably would have approached the deadline differently.
There’s actually a decent chance he intended to prioritize top-six help at the deadline. Remember that failed offer for defenseman Tyler Myers? Depending on who you ask, the offer was a second-round pick or Elmer Söderblom, and that addition would have addressed their needs on defense without giving up the package Detroit gave up to acquire Faulk, which included their 2026 first-round pick.
Related: Red Wings Trade Deadline: 3 Deals & Intriguing Discussions That Fell Through
If Yzerman was able to address the defense without giving up that pick, he might have been more aggressive in his pursuit of Vincent Trocheck of the New York Rangers. The Red Wings were rumored to have expressed interest in Larkin’s teammate at the Olympics, but New York stood firm on their asking price of a first-round pick, a good prospect, and a roster player.
Once the Red Wings had to give up a first to address their defense (the perceived bigger need at the time), a move for Trocheck or someone like him basically became impossible – Yzerman was never going to trade two firsts at the deadline unless it was for a player he considered truly elite.
All of this is to say that Yzerman probably does feel some regret given how things have played out, but there is evidence to suggest that he did intend to bring in more offense than he actually did. Once circumstances changed, he pivoted and made sure he brought in a defenseman – the piece most people thought he needed to go get.
Hindsight is 20/20, but if things had gone a little differently in the days heading into the deadline, we probably wouldn’t even be talking about this.
Faulk & Perron
The acquisitions Yzerman made were generally applauded when they happened, though the premium paid to acquire Faulk was almost universally acknowledged.
The Red Wings needed a right-handed defenseman capable of knocking Axel Sandin-Pellikka and Jacob Bernard-Docker down the depth chart and into more suitable roles. Faulk was generally regarded as one of the best fits for that need, so it had to be seen as a “win” when the deal was announced – they went out and got their guy.
Perron was positioned to be a welcome bonus addition given his familiarity with the organization, the role he could fill, and the relatively low cost of acquisition.
He was acquired from the Ottawa Senators for a conditional fourth-round pick (that could become a third-round pick based on playoff success) to bring the same veteran experience to Detroit’s bottom six that he brought from 2022 to 2024. Perron is a bigger boost to the locker room than on the ice at this point in his career, but a young team hoping to get over the hump and into the playoffs can always use a guy like him.
If the Red Wings were also able to add a player to their top six, Perron looks like the finishing touch on a strong trade deadline for Yzerman.
Worth the Cost?
There were certainly options available that could have alleviated the stress of the Red Wings’ current situation. Trocheck has already been mentioned, and the Red Wings also reportedly looked at Elias Pettersson of the Vancouver Canucks and Robert Thomas, Faulk’s former teammate with the St. Louis Blues. Yzerman cast a wide net in his pursuit of upgrades and was likely in on players we’ll never hear about.
But the cost for all of those players was high; what else can be expected in a seller’s market? Trocheck’s price has already been stated, and that’s a package that would have seen the Red Wings sacrifice significant future assets for a 32-year-old second-line center. Things would be better right now, no doubt, but Detroit wouldn’t have a first-round pick until 2028, Larkin and Trocheck won’t get any younger, and they would have likely traded their best center prospect in the deal.
It’s a move they can stomach if they haven’t already traded a first in the Faulk deal. As things were, it’s a price and long-term investment a team like the Red Wings can ill afford. An organization should never start selling its future before its present has arrived.
As for higher-ceiling options like Pettersson, who’s to say what the Canucks’ price was for him? That’s a unique situation given the player’s recent reputation and the cap hit attached to his contract. Discussions with Vancouver are rumored to be on pause until the summer, but that doesn’t help the Red Wings’ current situation.
Given what the Red Wings gave the Blues in their deal for Faulk, it had to be uncomfortable for Yzerman to hear what it would have taken to add Thomas to the deal. Up to two first-round picks, a prospect like Danielson, probably Marco Kasper or Max Plante, maybe one of their top goalie prospects, and then add in the Faulk package. Tinker with it as you see fit, but it was going to take a significant investment to land a deal of that magnitude.
In hindsight, it’s easy to say that you’d sacrifice as many future assets as it took to give the Red Wings a chance to survive these injuries. But when you can’t afford to sell your future, it is understandable if you can’t pull the trigger on something that does it in such a big way.
It can be true that Yzerman was wise to “live to fight another day” and preserve the organization’s assets, and it can also be true that the team had a need it wanted to address at the deadline, and it didn’t – and now it appears to be coming back to haunt them.
The Inconvenient Truth About the Red Wings
Though nobody wants to hear it right now, this could be the cause of good for the Red Wings when all is said and done, no matter how things unfold from here. If they grind their way into the playoffs despite missing their top two centers, it’ll be party time in Detroit – nobody will be upset about what they didn’t do at the trade deadline.
If they don’t pull through, it may be the spark that ignites significant change in the offseason. It may cause the organization to move on from players that couldn’t step up when the moment asked them to. It may inspire the organization to adopt a change in philosophy in terms of how it approaches roster building. It may even motivate ownership to dismiss Yzerman, though I think some fans and folks outside of the organization underestimate just how much trust ownership has in this front office.
It may also be true that these injuries are exposing an inconvenient truth the team has been able to mask up until this point: they don’t have a ton of scoring depth.
- James van Riemsdyk was a fan favorite for a little bit when he went on a scoring tear in December, but he now has just one goal since the last week of January. He has 15 goals this season and is producing in line with his averages in recent seasons.
- Emmitt Finnie has two goals this month and 11 on the season. He looks good when paired with Larkin and Lucas Raymond, but the rookie forward has yet to figure out how to produce consistent offense in the NHL.
- Marco Kasper is probably the team’s best hope of replacing Larkin and Copp in terms of upside, but he has just 16 points on the season and is experiencing less of a sophomore slump and more of a sophomore struggle.
- J.T. Compher realistically can replace Copp and looked good between Alex DeBrincat and Patrick Kane in the Red Wings’ 4-1 loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning on Mar. 12. This only emphasizes that it’s the loss of Larkin that truly put the Red Wings’ season in jeopardy; the injury to Copp was just salt in the wound.
I can go on, but the point remains that the Red Wings’ flaws have been brought to light at the most inopportune time. No matter which way this season goes, the organization needs to address them in the offseason to take the next step as contenders in the Eastern Conference.
Failure to do that would be unforgivable.