Detroit Red Wings general manager Steve Yzerman has left the door open for further additions to the team through trades, as just about every impactful free agent player has been re-signed by their respective clubs or otherwise traded/signed in the cases of Mitch Marner and K'Andre Miller.
Yzerman spoke about his desire to add a top-six forward and a top-four defenseman, especially the latter.
"The most important thing is to find players that fit," he said. "What we could use right now is a defenseman, a top four, and preferably a right shot. That would be our biggest potential need.”
The good news for Detroit is that there is a right-handed defenseman who is rumored to soon be on the move that fits the bill perfectly.
Defenseman Rasmus Andersson, a right-handed shot with the Calgary Flames, has been on the trade block for the last several weeks. He's also about to enter the final year of his current contract which carries a reasonable $4.55 million cap hit.
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As it currently stands, the Red Wings have approximately $12 million in cap space to utilize toward future additions after acquiring John Gibson from the Anaheim Ducks and signing a handful of new players through free agency.
Andersson has averaged nearly 24 minutes of ice time patrolling the Calgary blue line in each of the last three seasons, and reached double-digits in goals in two of those three campaigns (11 goals in each in 2022-23 and 2024-25, while scoring nine in 2023-24.)
The Red Wings only have two right-handed defensemen at the NHL level, Moritz Seider and Justin Holl, the latter of whom isn't going to be in Detroit's long-term outlook.
More space would be opened up on Detroit's books when Holl's contract expires next offseason, while the salary cap is also expected to rise.
At 28 years old, Andersson still has lots of hockey in him. Not only would he help to offset some of the defensive load that Seider carries, he also plays in all situations – even strength, power play, and penalty kill.
While talking about his club in late June, Flames general manager Craig Conroy couldn't guarantee that Andersson would still be with Calgary when Training Camp rolls around in September.
“You gotta look at it – Ras has got another year on his contract. I talked to Ras this morning and we’re all good," Conroy said. "If he’s a Calgary Flame in September, he’s a Calgary Flame."
As they would for a potential acquisition of an impact forward, the Red Wings have the draft capital and a multitude of prospects to offer as trade bait, as well as the cap space to accommodate a player like Andersson to fill the need on their blue line.
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