Follow Red Wings trade rumors and updates before Friday’s 2026 NHL trade deadline.
Sebastian Cossa: This is what he’s striving for with Detroit Red Wings
Detroit Red Wings goaltending prospect Sebastian Cossa, March 4, 2026 in Detroit.
EDITOR’S NOTE: This story includes updates from earlier in the week. Get the latest Red Wings NHL trade deadline updates here.
The 2026 NHL trade deadline is almost here, with the Detroit Red Wings potentially looking to get more active than they have in recent years.
The deadline will hit on Friday, March 6, at 3 p.m. ET, with Red Wings general manager Steve Yzerman facing many options as his team looks to stay competitive in a tight Atlantic Division race. The Red Wings haven’t made the NHL playoffs since 2016, three years before Yzerman took charge in Detroit.
The Red Wings are projected to be buyers at the deadline since they currently stand in a playoff position and have the second-most projected cap space in the NHL per Puckpedia. The Wings also have an intriguing prospect in center Nate Danielson that could help bring a solid return in a potential trade package for an impact veteran, and Yzerman has already made one move in trading for former Red Wings forward David Perron from the Ottawa Senators for a conditional fourth-round draft pick.
Though Yzerman, now in Year 7 in Detroit, has been active at the deadline in years past, including making two trades before the deadline in 2025, the Red Wings have acquired a passive reputation regarding deadline acquisitions, recently choosing to make low-risk, small-impact moves instead of trades that could turn the team into a legitimate championship contender.
However, this could be a much different deadline for Detroit. We’ll have all the updates below from what is sure to be a compelling NHL deadline week for Yzerman and the Red Wings.
Red Wings trade deadline live updates
This section will be updated throughout the week.
Hey, we know that guy! Yes, the Red Wings added forward David Perron in a deal with the Ottawa Senators that sends a conditional fourth-rounder to their Atlantic Division rivals.
Perron played for the Red Wings during the 2022-23 and 2023-24 seasons before signing a two-year deal (which he’s in the final months of) with the Sens.
Dallas and former Red Wings exec Jim Nill continued to be busy at the deadline, adding forward Michael Bunting from Nashville, in exchange for a third-round pick.
The Stars added defenseman Tyler Myers on Wednesday, and now they’re picking up a soon-to-be free agent in Bunting, who has 13 goals and 18 assists in 31 games with the Predators this season.
Jeff Petry, son of legendary Tigers pitcher Dan Petry, is heading to Minnesota.
The Florida Panthers announced they have acquired a seventh-round pick in exchange for Petry, who spent the 2023-24 and 2024-25 seasons with the Wings.
Petry has eight assists and zero goals in 58 games with the Panthers this year.
With less than 24 hours to go until the NHL trade deadline, the Red Wings wrapped up a practice without yet needing to say goodbye to any familiar faces, or hello to any new ones.
Goalie Sebastian Cossa excepted with his quick promotion and relegation, of course – but that’s a different story, as the team’s top goalie prospect hasn’t been linked with any trade talks.
Detroit still seems to be in the mix for a top-four defenseman and a top-six forward, with Red Wings veteran Patrick Kane saying “a lot can happen” around the trade deadline. But it looks to be a seller’s market right now, with prices for mid-tier trade targets looking steep compared to previous seasons.
The Red Wings announced they are assigning goalie Sebastian Cossa back to the AHL’s Grand Rapids Griffins, where he was the AHL’s Goaltender of the Month for November and December.
Cossa was recalled on March 4 under emergency conditions after Detroit’s starting goalie John Gibson left Monday’s game against the Nashville Predators with a shoulder injury. Cossa was Detroit’s first-round pick in 2021 but has only played in one game for the Red Wings since.
Elite Prospects’ Cam Robinson weighed in on the market for St. Louis Blues forward Robert Thomas, saying that the Blues are asking for an “insane” package of “multiple first-round level assets.”
Thomas has been a top trade target and could fit with many teams, including the Red Wings, but might not move at that asking price.
Red Wings goalie John Gibson, who missed Wednesday’s game against the Vegas Golden Knights with an injury he suffered in the first period of Monday’s game against the Nashville Predators, was back at Red Wings practice on Thursday.
Team captain Dylan Larkin, however, was not spotted. Larkin left Wednesday’s game after taking a cross-check in front of the Red Wings net.
According to Red Wings coach Todd McLellan, both Larkin and Andrew Copp are out for maintenance days and will be available for Friday’s game against the Florida Panthers. Gibson is expected to be available for Friday’s game, as well.
The Toronto Maple Leafs traded forward Nicolas Roy to the Colorado Avalanche for a 2027 first-round pick and a 2028 fifth-round pick. If the 2027 pick falls in the top-10, then the Maple Leafs would instead send their 2028 unconditional first-round pick over.
As first reported by NHL Network’s David Pagnotta, the Washington Capitals are sending forward Nic Dowd to the Vegas Golden Knights for Vegas goalie Jesper Vikman, a 2027 third-round pick and a 2029 second-round pick.
Dowd, 35, has put up at least 10 goals in each season from 2021-25, though he only has four goals in 55 games so far this season.
Ex-Detroit Red Wings defender Olli Määttä is on the move again.
The Red Wings shipped Määttä to Utah last year to save some cap space after just seven games in the 2024-25 season. He played for the Wings for the two years before that, then played 92 games over the last two years for Utah.
Now he’s heading to Calgary as part of a deal that brings MacKenzie Weegar to Utah.
Yzerman has cap space, picks to trade and a roster to improve, meaning the Red Wings will probably at trade targets over the next two days.
Our Red Wings insider Helene St. James takes a look at five trade targets Detroit should consider, including a couple of players whose names have already been mentioned in talks with other teams this week.
According to TSN’s Darren Dreger, talks of a deal between the St. Louis Blues and Buffalo Sabres for Blues forward Robert Thomas have apparently ended. The price for Thomas was reportedly too high for Buffalo, and Thomas continues to be available to trade for a team in need of a forward (like the Red Wings, for example, though the price for Thomas might be too high for Detroit, too).
Per TSN’s Darren Dreger, the Dallas Stars have traded for Vancouver Canucks defenseman Tyler Myers, taking him off the board as a potential trade candidate for the Red Wings. Per TSN’s Pierre LeBrun, the Stars sent a second-round pick in 2027 and a fourth-round pick in 2029 for Myers, with the Canucks retaining 50% of Myers’ contract for the next two seasons.
Myers, 36, has spent 17 NHL seasons with three different teams, notably as the 2010 Calder Trophy winner with the Buffalo Sabres.
The John Gibson injury may a little worse than initially feared.
The Red Wings goalie left the team’s 4-2 Monday win over the Nashville Predators in the first intermission after taking a puck to the shoulder. Coach Todd McLellan after the game said that Gibson was “OK,” but is apparently well enough to return for tonight’s game against the Vegas Golden Knights.
Detroit recalled goalie Sebastian Cossa from the Grand Rapids Griffins under emergency conditions while assigning Erik Gustafsson to Grand Rapids. Cossa was the No. 15 overall pick in the 2021 draft but has only appeared in one NHL game, a win over the Buffalo Sabres on Dec. 9, 2024.
Cossa has played exceptionally with the Griffins this season, winning the AHL Goaltender of the Month award in both November and December while playing in the 2026 AHL All-Star Classic.
Our Red Wings insider Helene St. James reported that regular backup Cam Talbot will get the start tonight. McLellan said that Gibson is considered day-to-day and is feeling better.
According to ESPN’s Emily Kaplan, the New York Rangers are putting captain J.T. Miller on injured reserve with an upper-body injury. The Rangers say Miller’s injury is not related to an injury he dealt with earlier in the season but didn’t reveal any more information regarding the injury.
The Rangers have the fewest points in the Eastern Conference and are considered to be sellers at the deadline. Miller’s injury status may confirm that not only are the Rangers in sell mode, but also could be aiming for a high draft pick later this year.
Rangers forwards Vincent Trocheck and Alexis Lafrenière could be deadline targets for the Red Wings, who are 20th in the NHL in goals per game (2.95) entering Tuesday’s play.
Per TSN’s Darren Dreger, talks between the Buffalo Sabres and St. Louis Blues for Blues forward Robert Thomas are “heating up.”
Thomas recorded at least 81 points in his previous two seasons with the Blues and could represent an offensive boost for Buffalo, one of the league’s hottest teams.
Per NHL insider Chris Johnston, the Sabers are offering “the equivalent of multiple 1st-rounders” to acquire Thomas, who would need to waive his no-trade clause for a deal to be made. The Sabres and Red Wings are tied in the Atlantic Division with 76 points as of Tuesday, with Buffalo having one game in hand.
The big deadline news from Monday, March 2, was the Edmonton Oilers acquiring defenseman Connor Murphy from the Chicago Blackhawks for a 2028 second-round pick.
Murphy has played his last nine seasons in Chicago after starting his career in Arizona and brings size to Edmonton’s back line. Edmonton’s trade also takes a potential target for the Red Wings off the board, as Detroit might focus primarily on shoring up its defense.
Red Wings potential deadline targets
Helene St. James, Detroit Free Press: “The Vancouver Canucks (Quinn Hughes), New York Rangers (Artemi Panarin) and Calgary Flames (Rasmus Andersson) already have traded assets, with more on those teams still available, such as forwards Vincent Trocheck and Alexis Lafrenière (Rangers), forwards Blake Coleman and Nazem Kadri (Flames) and forwards Elias Pettersson and Evander Kane (Canucks).
“The St. Louis Blues are likely to shed players, too, with defenseman Justin Faulk and forwards Robert Thomas, Brayden Schenn and Jordan Kyrou potentially destined for new teams.
“The Seattle Kraken are right on the bubble of the Western Conference playoff picture, but if they decide to sell, defenseman Vince Dunn could be of interest to the Wings.”
When is the NHL trade deadline?
- Friday, March 6, 3 p.m. ET.
Red Wings cap space 2026
According to Puckpedia, the Red Wings have more than $12 million of projected cap space (second-most in the NHL) and more than $58 million of deadline cap space, the estimated cap hit the team can take on before the deadline. A player’s salary traded this week will only count for less than one-fourth of the annual cap hit for their new team, since there will be about five weeks remaining in the regular season after the trade deadline.
- Current cap space: $54,522,419.
- Deadline cap space: $58,416,878.
- Projected playoff cap space: $17,522,513.
Red Wings future draft picks
The Red Wings own their first-round draft picks over the next three drafts.
- 2026: Own first, second, third, fourth (from Columbus Blue Jackets), fifth, sixth and two seventh-round picks (one from Calgary Flames).
- 2027: Own first, third, fourth, fifth, sixth and seventh-round picks.
- 2028: Own all picks.
Red Wings trade deadline history under Steve Yzerman
Here’s a quick summary of the Red Wings trade deadline deals under current GM Steve Yzerman.
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You can reach Christian at [email protected].
