The Detroit Red Wings aim to win more hockey games in the 2025-26 season. Adding more goal-scoring and offensive prowess to their forward ranks (and blueline) are goals that Steve Yzerman should have. Becoming a tougher team to play against should also be high up on the list.
Heavy.com proposed the trade idea that would have the Red Wings acquire Vasily Podkolzin from the Western Conference champions, the Edmonton Oilers.
Red Wings Acquire:
- Vasily Podkolzin ($1,000,000)
- Brett Kulak ($2,750,000)
Oilers Acquire:
- Sebastian Cossa ($863,334)
This would be a great depth move for both organizations. The Red Wings pick up a forward who plays in the middle six while having top-six potential. They also add a top-four defender who just had a career season. The Oilers also address their goalie situation with a blue-chip prospect.
In this proposal, the Red Wings acquire Vasily Podkolzin. The 24-year-old winger was initially drafted by the Vancouver Canucks 10th overall in 2019. The 6-foot-1, 190 lb Russian forward recorded 24 points and 211 hits in 82 games.
This trade idea also sees them add Brett Kulak. The 6-foot-2, 192 lb left-handed defender was a 2012 105th overall draft pick by the Calgary Flames. The 31-year-old blueliner is coming off a career year where he recorded 25 points while averaging 20:32 minutes per game.
This trade proposal would have the Oilers adding Sebastian Cossa to their goalie mix. The 6-foot-6, 229 lb goalie played most of this past season in the AHL for the Grand Rapids Griffins. The 22-year-old recorded 21 wins, a 2.45 goals against average (GAA), a .911 save percentage (SV%), and one shutout in 41 games.
Red Wings’ Sebastian Cossa Has Been Linked to the Oilers Before
Reports from earlier in the summer detailed that the Oilers could look at Boston Bruins‘ goalie Michael DiPietro or New Jersey Devils‘ third-string goalie Nico Daws. But the Oilers might look elsewhere for goalie depth.
Bob Stauffer, the host of Oilers Now, is very connected within the Oilers organization. On a recent episode of his show, he discussed another option.
“There’s a connection,” Stauffer said to open his August 1st show. “There’s a guy in an organization that hasn’t gained a lot of traction over the last few years, and they’ve got another really good goaltending prospect.”
In addition to Cossa, the Red Wings also have World Junior Goal Medalist, Trey Augustine.
In July of 2021, Jim Matheson reported that the Oilers had Cossa “very high on their list.” This could explain why then-GM Ken Holland elected to trade back after Cossa was drafted 15th overall by Detroit.
Red Wings Address Multiple Needs
The Red Wings had the worst penalty kill in the NHL in 2024-25. They also allowed the 12th-most goals (259). Saying that they need help defensively is a bit of an understatement.
Kulak is a versatile player who also played on the shorthanded special teams unit regularly. He played the second-most minutes on the penalty kill with 141:31.
The 31-year-old’s ability to play in multiple situations helped the Oilers during their regular season and in the playoffs.
“We needed more from him,” Head Coach Kris Knoblauch said to the media before the Stanley Cup Final. “He was on the ice more and was able to play key minutes against key players like (Mikko) Rantanen and (Anze) Kopitar. Not only that, but playing left side, right side, and being very versatile.”
Despite this, with reports of extensions coming for fellow left-handed blueliners Jake Walman and Mattias Ekholm, Kulak might be on the outside looking in.
Podkolzin would add some grit and jam to the Red Wings’ lineup. His 211 hits were the most of any Oilers player and were the 25th-most hits of any player in the NHL. He was recently named as potential trade bait by The Athletic’s Allan Mitchell.
The Red Wings have $12,086,628 in salary cap space.
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