Red Wings rumors: The 3 players with term Detroit could trade in offseason

The Detroit Red Wings are at the front end of another disappointingly long summer after a 10th consecutive campaign ended without Stanley Cup Playoff hockey in Motown.

Despite spending much of 2025-26 in postseason positioning, the Wings collapsed at the last, losing 10 of their final 13 games to finish sixth in the Atlantic Division.

General manager Steve Yzerman is certainly facing some heat as the slump continues, and he has readily admitted the roster needs a change.

In that spirit, The Athletic’s Max Bultman pointed to three players — all under contract — who could get a change of scenery before next season: JT Compher, Michael Rasmussen and Mason Appleton.

The most surprising of the trio is Compher, who stepped up when captain Dylan Larkin suffered an injury in March. He has two seasons remaining at a $5.1 million cap hit and owns a 10-team no-trade list, but there are multiple centers ahead of him on the depth chart.

“Detroit has centers ahead of him in Larkin, [Andrew] Copp and potentially [Marco] Kasper next season, with Nate Danielson on the way as well. The former Cup winner could have real value on the trade market, especially in a year in which the free-agent class (particularly at center) leaves much to be desired,” wrote Bultman on Monday.

“With the Red Wings needing to remake their bottom six, Compher nonetheless stands out as a player who could appeal to other teams in a trade and perhaps benefit from a larger role elsewhere.”

It makes sense, as Detroit has solid center depth in the pipeline, and could still get a decent return for the 31-year-old.

As for Rasmussen, he has two years left at $3.2 million annually, but is coming off a disappointing 14 points in 64 games. Appleton was just as futile after coming over from the Winnipeg Jets, managing the exact same point total with one extra game — and just three in his final 34 contests.

Both forwards certainly look to be expendable, especially how ineffective they were in Detroit down the stretch.

It’ll be interesting to see if any of Compher, Rasmussen or Appleton are moved this summer as the Red Wings look to finally construct a roster that can hold up for 82 games in a competitive Eastern Conference.

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