Hey, I’ll concede: The odds are slim that the Detroit Red Wings would trade J.T. Compher, and they’re much more likely to move either Vladimir Tarasenko or Justin Holl. Neither player fared well with the Wings in 2024-25, but you can put Compher in that club, too.
His respectable play in 2022-23 with the Colorado Avalanche and 2023-24 with the Wings could help them pull off a blockbuster trade this summer. That’s if anyone’s interested in taking Compher off the Wings hands after what was a disappointing 2024-25 season.
In 76 games, Compher struggled, with 11 goals and 32 points, a minus-7, and just 16:41 of average total ice time. To be clear, that’s almost three minutes fewer than we saw him snag in 2023-24, and it shows how much he struggled throughout what was ultimately a disappointing year in Hockeytown.
So, while I don’t anticipate a trade, it also wouldn’t surprise me if the Wings moved him. More likely, it would be to just find a way to get rid of his contract if Steve Yzerman wanted to move on and upgrade. But let’s have some fun, and talk about three blockbuster deals that J.T. Compher could be part of this summer.
Colorado Avalanche
Send J.T. Compher back to Denver? This was the first place I thought of when I asked myself where the three best fits for Compher resided. For one, he knows the team and the system, and he even helped win a Cup for the Avs in 2022.
Compher’s last year in Denver remains a career-best, in which he finished the season with 17 goals and 52 points. Given his history with the Avalanche, there’s a good chance Steve Yzerman would make a deal with Colorado if they came calling.
Trade logistics would be the tough part, but I’d try to add Compher into a potential trade for Martin Necas. Yes, this would be a blockbuster deal and, since I’m only talking about big moves here, would require a lot of compensation from the Wings.
A first-round pick would be a must, plus someone like Sebastian Cossa since chances are high that the Avs will need a future netminder, and Cossa would be a great option. Especially with Michal Postava in the organization.
Like the other two trade proposals I’ll mention, this would just be a base, and there would likely be some smaller assets in play here, too if the teams were to complete the deal.
Buffalo Sabres
Because we always need an intra-divisional rival in these kinds of posts, right? Hey, the Sabres have two players they can pawn off – JJ Peterka and Bowen Byram – and the Wings should be interested.
Now, I’m not implying that the Wings can trade Compher for Peterka and Byram, but if the Sabres were cool with it, then by all means. More realistically, it’d be a situation in which the Sabres move their two young restricted free agents, and the Wings package players like Compher, a high-end prospect like Nate Danielson (this trade ain’t gonna be cheap, alright?), and maybe even their first-round pick.
To even the trade, Buffalo can throw in a mid-tier, high-potential prospect, and boom, the Wings got a young winger and blueliner. Meanwhile, the Sabres can see if they’ll fix Compher, bring in yet another good, young player, and acquire a draft pick.
Dallas Stars
You know exactly who I’m thinking about here, right? Make Compher part of a potential Jason Robertson trade? Hey, sign me up. And no, before you get any ideas, this wouldn’t be a swap of Compher for Robertson, since it’d be beyond lopsided.
But if you throw in a first-round pick and an NHL-ready prospect, much like I did in the previous trade proposal, then this one don’t look so one-sided. As with the Peterka/Byram deal, I’m not saying there won’t be a few more assets involved, since adding someone like Jason Robertson in a trade involving J.T. Compher is beyond a blockbuster move.
Still, you’d have a top six with Lucas Raymond, Jason Robertson, Alex DeBrincat, Dylan Larkin, Marco Kasper, and Patrick Kane. That’s assuming the Stars wouldn’t ask for someone like Kasper to complete the deal, which would be a no-go.
Still, what I have listed here is the No. 1 reward in a trade involving J.T. Compher to Dallas. But it doesn’t mean there couldn’t be smaller, more realistic options in place.
