Perry Nelson-Imagn Images
The Edmonton Oilers and Detroit Red Wings are two clubs that could be active during NHL trade deadline season to push them closer to their goals.
The Red Wings have not made the playoffs since 2016, and their struggles early this season forced GM Steve Yzerman to replace coach Derek Lalonde with former Oilers bench boss Todd McLellan. Since then, the Wings have gone 15-5-1 and are currently holding on to the second wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference.
The Oilers made it as far as a club can go without winning last season, losing Game 7 of the Stanley Cup final to the Florida Panthers. They are currently tied with the Vegas Golden Knights for the top spot in the Pacific Division. But after losing a pair of youngsters in Dylan Holloway and Philip Broberg to St. Louis in free agency, and with some of their off-season signings not meeting expectations, Edmonton relies more on superstars Leon Draisaitl and Connor McDavid.
Here are the main and secondary areas of need the Oilers and Red Wings could address before the March 7 NHL trade deadline.
Detroit Red Wings
Main Need: Top-Six Forward
The Wings’ 2.86 goals-for per game rank them 19th in the NHL. Their main issue is scoring depth since four players – Lucas Raymond, Dylan Larkin, Alex DeBrincat and Patrick Kane – account for more than half of their 157 goals. Free agent signing Vladimir Tarasenko hasn’t provided enough secondary scoring, which is why his name has popped up in trade rumors.
GM Steve Yzerman may have to give up a future asset to boost their production instead of hoping Tarasenko can turn it around and youngsters Jonatan Berggren and Marco Jasper can break out.
Secondary Need: Defensive Depth
Detroit’s goalies have done enough to win games under McLellan. Cam Talbot is 10-3-0 with a 2.91 goals-against average since Dec. 26, while Alex Lyon is 5-1-1 with a 2.18 GAA in that span. But the Red Wings’ blueline could use some bolstering for a potential playoff run.
The Wings have an excellent top-pairing defender in Moritz Seider, a solid youngster in Simon Edvinsson and veterans in Ben Chiarot and Jeff Petry. But bottom-pairing options, such as Erik Gustafsson and Justin Holl, are not dependable.
Related: NHL Rumor Roundup: Latest On Mikko Rantanen, Noah Dobson And Vladimir Tarasenko
Edmonton Oilers
Main Need: Middle-Pair Defenseman
The…