The NHL Trade Deadline is just weeks away, and all 32 teams are taking stock of things and deciding how they will proceed between now and then. The Detroit Red Wings, after a rough start to their season, find themselves in the thick of the Eastern Conference playoff race thanks to an in-season coaching change as well as big contributions from their core players. After mostly sitting still at last year’s trade deadline, there is a little extra pressure on Red Wings general manager Steve Yzerman to add to his roster this year.
As is always the case, you have to give to get. The Red Wings’ roster certainly has needs to address, but Yzerman won’t be able to add anything significant without giving up something significant in return. More often than not, that equates to draft picks and prospects – future assets that will help the other team down the road. If you’ve been following along with the Red Wings’ rebuild, you know how this works; it wasn’t that long ago that they were in a seller’s position too.
Last week, we determined who the Red Wings’ best prospects are. Now it’s time to identify which prospects could be up for grabs is Yzerman is looking to bring a hot ticket item to Detroit.
William Wallinder
Since Yzerman took over in the spring of 2019, the Red Wings have often targeted high-upside, “project” defensemen early in the second round of the draft. With the 32nd pick in the 2020 draft, the Red Wings selected Swedish defenseman William Wallinder, and he certainly fits that mold.
Related: Red Wings Top 25 Prospects: 2024-25 Midseason Update
Now in his second season in the American Hockey League (AHL), Wallinder is coming into his own here in North America. He possesses good size at 6-foot-4, 205 pounds, and he has the ability to facilitate play from the back end. While he still projects as a two-way defenseman, he hasn’t flashed the kind of high-end offensive ability that would make it easier to project him as a top-four guy. Though he has yet to make his NHL debut, he was briefly called up to the Red Wings earlier this season, suggesting that the organization is pleased with his progress to this point.
Needless to say, there are a few other guys in the system that have a similar profile. Antti Tuomisto was the trend-setter, going 35th overall in 2019, and Shai Buium was the 2021 model, going 36th overall. Both of them are also in Grand Rapids with Wallinder, and both have impressed to…
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