The Detroit Red Wings are on track to make the Stanley Cup Playoffs in 2026. Their performance this season has been rather vindicating for general manager Steve Yzerman. The former Detroit captain has preached patience through an extensive rebuilding process. He's willing to make splash moves, but things need to align in order for this to happen.
Now, it seems as if those things are aligning. The Red Wings are second in the Atlantic Division at this time. In fact, they are only one point back of the Tampa Bay Lightning for the top spot in the division. Moreover, they have been in contention for the top spot in the Eastern Conference for the last month or so.
Detroit looks like a team that can make some noise in the postseason. Whether they are a threat for the Stanley Cup is up for debate. But this is a team with the talent to at least make some sort of run. To further cement that, though, they need to address some issues with their roster.
Yzerman has signalled a willingness to trade future assets for impact players. Now, he has a chance to do just that. The NHL will freeze its rosters on February 4th for the upcoming 2026 Winter Olympics. Before this happens, the Red Wings must make this one trade to bolster their roster.
Connor Murphy would boost Red Wings defense
There are a couple of housekeeping items we should acknowledge first and foremost. To start, the likelihood of a blockbuster trade before the Olympic break isn't zero, but it's also not that high. The players the Red Wings would be targeting through trade aren't going to Milan for the 2026 Winter Olympics. While the roster freeze is a soft deadline, there's still an actual 2026 NHL Trade Deadline right after the Winter Games.
Second, the Red Wings are going to need to make multiple trades. They have the cap space and assets to do this. More importantly, they have enough needs to justify making more than a single trade this season. Also consider that the talent on the market doesn't quite lend itself to making one massive trade to satiate every need this team has.
The most pressing need for the Red Wings at this time is either a second-line center or a top-four defenseman. Before the Olympic freeze, Detroit should prioritize fixing its blueline. Simon Edvinsson is out until late February with an injury. That's a huge loss that needs to be addressed.
Connor Murphy is not the sexiest name on the market by any means. However, he would be a massive gain for this Red Wings team. Moritz Seider leads the league in Defensive Goals Above Replacement this year, according to Evolving Hockey. Murphy is sixth in the NHL in this same metric.
There is the caveat of Murphy playing in a smaller role this season. And that's a fair point. In saying this, the Chicago Blackhawks defenseman has long been one of the most consistent shutdown defensemen in the NHL. Murphy ranks 14th in DGAR over the last six seasons.
Murphy is more than capable of playing a second-pairing role for a contender. He could pair with the recently extended Ben Chiarot on the second pairing for the rest of the season. This would allow rookie Axel Sandin-Pellikka to find his confidence in a more sheltered role as the playoff push heats up. Perhaps more importantly, it would take struggling veteran Travis Hamonic out of the lineup.
The Red Wings likely wouldn't need to pay too much to pry Murphy out of Chicago. He is a rental, which is something the Red Wings have tended to avoid if they can. However, he is the sort of rental that would make sense for this team leading into the 2026 NHL Trade Deadline.
