Trade Pitch Sees Red Wings Acquiring Star Defenseman From Rival in Intriguing Deal
The Detroit Red Wings will look to upgrade their roster this offseason, and one trade pitch has them making an intriguing deal with a division rival.
The website PuckPedia’s PuckGM tool lets users create their own trades. One user proposed a deal that would see the Red Wings acquire Morgan Rielly from the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Red Wings acquire:
- Morgan Rielly
- Pontus Holmberg
- 2025 third-round pick (Colorado)
Maple Leafs acquire:
- Michael Rasmussen
- Jonatan Berggren
- 2025 first-round pick
The proposed deal would be a blockbuster, but Detroit adding a first-round pick seems like extra and not needed, as the Maple Leafs are hoping to cut Rielly’s contract, so it likely isn’t needed.
The Red Wings would acquire Rielly, who has five years left on his eight-year, $60 million deal. He does have a no-movement clause, so he would have to approve any trade, but a change of scenery could be needed. Rielly would be a second-pair defenseman for the Red Wings and add some offense to the back end. He recorded 7 goals and 34 assists for 41 points in 82 games.
Detroit would also acquire Holmberg, who would replace the two forwards going to Toronto. Holmberg is an RFA and needs a contract, but would be a solid third-line player for the Red Wings.
In return, the Maple Leafs would acquire a first-round pick, which is the 13th overall pick. The Maple Leafs would also acquire Rasmussen and Berggren, who are bottom-six forwards. Both can add some offense and play an impactful role in the bottom of the lineup, but the big part of this trade is the Maple Leafs getting off of Rielly’s contract.
Red Wings Looking to Add This Offseason
Detroit failed to make the playoffs for the ninth-straight season and the Red Wings are looking to be aggressive this offseason.
Detroit has needs on offense and defense, but the Red Wings have cap space to work with. With that, general manager Steve Yzerman says he’s open to making some big moves this summer.
“We’ve kind of felt that all along, we’re going to look at any good player. Any player that can help us in any role. If there’s a player worthy of spending whatever amount on, that has an interest in playing in Detroit and fits a need for us, absolutely we would try to do that,” Yzerman said at his year-end press conference on April 29. “We’re in a different stage than we were maybe five years ago in that we have a good young nucleus of players. And if we can add to that with a prominent free agent, we’d certainly entertain that.”
The Red Wings have just over $21.3 million in cap space, so they have plenty of money to make a move.
Insider Names Rielly a Trade Candidate for Maple Leafs
Rielly has been with the Maple Leafs since he was selected fifth overall in 2012.
He has been a star defenseman for the Maple Leafs, but his play appeared to take a step back this season. With that, NHL insider and analyst Justin Bourne of Sportsnet listed Rielly as a trade candidate this summer.
The elephant in the room is Morgan Rielly,” Bourne wrote. “He scored them some goals and had some flashes in the playoffs, but at the end of the day, he’s their most concerning defensive defenceman. His hesitance in Game 7 rivalled that of Marner, and while the forwards always catch the brunt of the blame with this team, it’s worth considering: would you rather have Rielly in your lineup, or the $7.5 million in cap space?”
Rielly is a one-time NHL All-Star and has played his entire NHL career with the Maple Leafs. But, that soon may come to an end.
