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A Red Wings New Year's Resolution involves a trade: We have a date


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Joshua Deeds
January 2, 2026  (6:05 PM)
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Jan 1, 2026; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Detroit Red Wings right wing Patrick Kane (88) and center Dylan Larkin (71) celebrate a goal by right wing Alex Debrincat (right) against the Pittsburgh Penguins during the third period at PPG Paints Arena.
Photo credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

The Detroit Red Wings' New Year's Resolution: the team must capitalize on trade deadline day to find a blueliner.

With a record of 24-14-3, the Detroit Red Wings sit atop the Atlantic Division, 1st overall.
However, we know how chaotic the sport of hockey is and how tight the Eastern Conference is with a wealth of great teams this year.
For the Detroit Red Wings, they need to put on their thinking caps and find a way to take advantage of the upcoming deadline in March to upgrade at least one spot in the lineup.
Though this is primarily the writer's opinion, General Manager Steve Yzerman should consider upgrading the blue line with a trade.

The Detroit Red Wings upgrade their lineup with a trade

With recent trade proposal we've seen lately, there is one defenseman available who we should target in 2026.
The team has a need to add depth to the blue line.
As it stands now, the team is thin in defenders. With the team rostering Ben Chiarot and Jacob-Bernard Docker in the bottom four, there's room for improvement.
Adding someone like Rasmus Andersson's addition gives the team flexibility with the ranks; it'd give them a two-way weapon on the ice. His CF% is at 48.0% with his current Flames team, a team that is a bottom-dwelling organization.
"For an individual player, the Corsi number is calculated by taking the number of shot attempts his team gets at even strength while he is on the ice and divides it by the number of shot attempts the opponent gets while he is on the ice. So, it's like plus-minus, but for shot attempts instead of goals."

Despite this, he's managed to score 26 points (8-18) in 40 games, with a plus-2, and that could improve playing on the right side of Chiarot.
He has 27 games of NHL playoff experience, scoring 14 points (7-7). A proven performer.
Though we don't believe that Chiarot should be long for the Red Wings uniform either, this would address the depth missing on the right side. While effectively pushing either Albert Johansson or Jacob-Bernard Docker into a 7th-defenseman position.
The Flames signed Rasmus Andersson to a six-year, $4.5 million average annual value contract in 2026, and he could be a rental if Yzerman fails to extend him, so it's important to measure the amount of assets given up in return.
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A Red Wings New Year's Resolution involves a trade: We have a date

The Detroit Red Wings, this New Year's Resolution must capitalize on the trade deadline by adding defenseman Rasmus Andersson in a trade from the Calgary Flames, do you agree?

Yes5774 %
No2026 %
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