The Detroit Red Wings could look to upgrade their blue line, and one trade idea has them acquiring a star defensive defenseman.
Heavy.com proposed a deal that would see the Red Wings acquire Ryan McDonagh from the Tampa Bay Lightning in a bold move.
Red Wings acquire:
Lightning acquire:
- Shai Buium
- Michael Rasmussen
- 2026 fourth-round pick
The proposed deal would be an intriguing one. Detroit would acquire a legit top-four defenseman in exchange for a mid-round pick, a defensive prospect, and a bottom-six forward as Tampa gets younger and clears some cap space.
The Red Wings would acquire McDonagh, who’s in the final year of his seven-year, $47.25 million deal, and has a 12-team no-trade list. McDonagh would be a top-four defenseman for Detroit and be a shutdown defender who would add some veteran leadership to the back end. He recorded 4 goals and 27 assists for 31 points in 82 games.
In return, the Red Wings would give up a defensive prospect in Buium. Buium was selected in the second round of the 2021 NHL Draft. He could push for playing time in the NHL this season. He has another two years at $925,000 per year before becoming an RFA.
The Lightning would also acquire Rasmussen, who would add some youth to the Lightning lineup and add to the bottom-six, which is a need. Rasmussen has three years left on his four-year, $12.8 million deal. He recorded 11 goals and 10 assists for 21 points in 77 games.
McDonagh Back on Trade Block
The Lightning traded McDonagh to the Nashville Predators in 2022, and just two years later, re-acquired him last offseason.
However, with McDonagh entering the final year of his deal, his name has once again come up in trade talks, according to NHL insider Nick Kypreos.
“The Lightning have little in the way of cap space this off-season. And, may look to create some more without looking for a package of only futures,” Kypreos wrote. “They’ve already traded Ryan McDonagh away once, back in 2022, then re-acquired him in 2024. Now he may end up being on the move again.
“At 35 years old, McDonagh has just one more season remaining on his contract with a $6.75-million cap hit and a modified no-trade list. He can still play at a high level and showed it in 2024-25,” Kypreos added. “McDonagh led the Lightning with a plus-43 rating. He averaged over 20 minutes of ice time per game and more time on the penalty kill than any other Lightning player. A left-shot defender. There are a lot of teams around the NHL that view him as one of those defensemen who will play the game to a high level late into his 30s.”
Despite being 35, McDonagh is a very good defenseman who several teams, including the Red Wings, could have an interest in.
Red Wings GM Has Already Acquired McDonagh
Detroit going after McDonagh makes sense. The Red Wings have the prospect pool and young NHL forwards to make a deal enticing for the Lightning.
Meanwhile, Red Wings’ general manager Steve Yzerman used to be the GM of the Lightning. His final year in Tampa Bay was the year the Lightning first acquired McDonagh.
So, perhaps Yzerman goes back to the well and looks to bring in McDonagh for some veteran leadership on the blue line.
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This article was originally published on Heavy Sports
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