After years of struggling to take that next step, the Detroit Red Wings have finally broken through this season. At the time of this writing, the Red Wings have a 33-19-6 record and 72 points. With this, they are currently third in the Atlantic Division standings and have a strong chance of snapping their nine-year playoff drought.
With the Red Wings being in such a good position right now, there is a clear expectation that they will be buyers ahead of the 2026 NHL trade deadline. This is especially so when noting that the Red Wings are in a prime position to add to their roster, as they have just under $60 million of deadline cap space.
The Nashville Predators, on the other hand, are in a different position. The Predators currently have a 26-24-7 record and are four points behind the Anaheim Ducks for the final wild card spot in the Western Conference. With this, there is a chance that they will be sellers, and multiple of their players have come up in the rumor mill because of it.
Ryan O’Reilly is the Predators’ top trade candidate, and he is exactly the kind of star forward that the Red Wings should make a push for. Because of this, we here at Heavy Sports have a trade pitch that would have the Predators send O’Reilly to the Red Wings in a major splash.
Red Wings Get:
- Ryan O’Reilly
Predators Get:
- 2026 First-Round Pick
- Shai Buium
- Amadeus Lombardi
Ryan O’Reilly Is Creating Chatter as a Trade Candidate
With the Predators not holding a playoff spot, O’Reilly has been the subject of trade speculation yet again this season. Because of this, the veteran center was recently included on Nick Kypreos’ latest trade board for Sportsnet.
“O’Reilly is definitely garnering the most attention of anyone in Nashville because centres are at such a premium and he’s having a strong year, leading the Predators in scoring. It’s hard to imagine O’Reilly’s value will ever be higher than it is now, and he doesn’t have any trade protection. Trotz has to ask if now is the time to maximize a premium asset,” Kypreos wrote.
When noting that O’Reilly is still an impactful top-six two-way center at this stage of his career, the Red Wings should seriously consider pursuing him. He would give them a major upgrade for their second-line center spot over Andrew Copp. Furthermore, he would work on both the Red Wings’ power play and penalty kill if acquired.
O’Reilly’s leadership qualities and playoff experience are also two big reasons why a team on the rise like the Red Wings should make a major push for him. He would give Detroit another good mentor for their younger players, which would undoubtedly benefit them.
Red Wings Are Looking for Center Help
During a January episode of TSN Insider Trading, Darren Dreger reported that the Red Wings want to add a top-six center with term. O’Reilly, who has 56 points in 57 games this season and a $4.5 million cap hit until the end of next season, fits that description perfectly.
With the Red Wings looking to cement themselves as true contenders, O’Reilly is the kind of center they should consider pursuing. It will be intriguing to see if they do just that from here.
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This article was originally published on Heavy Sports
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