The Detroit Red Wings are certainly a team to pay attention to leading up to the 2026 NHL trade deadline. With the Red Wings currently having a 34-20-6 record and being fourth in the Atlantic Division standings, there is an expectation that they will be buyers between now and the deadline.
The Red Wings should be aggressive when it comes to adding to their roster. Detroit needs to break its nine-year playoff drought this season, so the Original Six club should be looking to make moves. This is especially so when noting that they have just under $60 million of deadline cap space, according to PuckPedia.
The Red Wings have multiple trade needs that they should look to address if they want to take that next step and become true contenders. Adding a top-four right-shot defenseman should be one of the biggest goals, as it is clear that the right side of their blueline is in need of an upgrade.
When looking at trade candidates around the NHL, Philadelphia Flyers defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen stands out as a very interesting potential option for the Red Wings. Because of this, we here at Heavy Sports have a trade pitch that would have the Flyers send Ristolainen to the Red Wings in a big swap.
Red Wings Get:
- Rasmus Ristolainen
Flyers Get:
- 2026 First-Round Pick
- 2027 Sixth-Round Pick
Flyers’ Rasmus Ristolainen is a Top Trade Candidate to Watch
With the Flyers heading in the wrong direction as the deadline gets near, Ristolainen has been generating a ton of chatter in the rumor mill. It is understandable, as contenders are always on the hunt for big right-shot defensemen who play a heavy game, and Ristolainen fits that description.
Due to this, Ristolainen was recently included on Chris Johnston’s new trade board for The Athletic.
“Coming off a strong Olympic tournament for Finland, his first national team assignment in nearly a decade, Ristolainen is once again available on the trade market. The Flyers can stick to their guns in terms of an ask due to the fact that he’s under contract for another season beyond this one,” Johnston wrote.
With the Flyers listening to offers for Ristolainen, the Red Wings would be wise to at least kick tires on him. If Detroit acquired him, he could slot nicely on their second pairing with Ben Chiarot. However, even if he played on their third pairing, he would be a notable upgrade over other options like Travis Hamonic and Jacob Bernard-Docker.
Ristolainen would also give the Red Wings another hard-nosed defenseman with size who could play on their penalty kill. This would not be a bad thing for Detroit to have, but especially once the playoffs are here.
Ristolainen would also be more than a rental for the Red Wings, as he has a $5.1 million cap hit until the end of next season. This could make him a good fit for a Red Wings club on the rise.
Red Wings Won’t Be Only Team in on Ristolainen
With Ristolainen being a big right-shot defenseman, there should be several teams besides the Red Wings interested. A few teams that have been connected to him this season include the Boston Bruins, Montreal Canadiens, Dallas Stars, and Edmonton Oilers.
Nevertheless, it will be intriguing to see if the Red Wings can successfully acquire Ristolainen from Philadelphia from here.
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This article was originally published on Heavy Sports
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