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Red Wings Playoff Miss Could Lead to New GM

After a disastrous end to the 2025-26 season, the Detroit Red Wings are entering the summer as a clear team to watch. Although they looked destined to make the postseason at the Olympic break, an 8-12-4 record in their final 24 games ended up making them extend their playoff drought to 10 years.

Now, the Red Wings have some serious decisions to make when it comes to their roster during the offseason. It is clear that they should be looking to make multiple upgrades to their roster this offseason. Some of their biggest needs include a top-six winger, a top-six center, and bottom-six forward upgrades.

Yet, at the same time, the Red Wings should also be looking to move out some players who are simply no longer fits on their roster. Because of this, one of their former first-round picks has now been named among their top trade candidates to watch during the offseason.

Red Wings Former First-Round Pick Michael Rasmussen Named Top Trade Candidate

In a recent article for The Athletic, Max Bultman took a look at which Red Wings players should end up staying put this offseason and which others could be on the move. When it came to the Red Wings’ top trade candidates, Bultman included former first-round pick Michael Rasmussen.

“He had just 14 points, and though he missed 18 games, his per-game scoring rate at 0.22 was a career low. His 64 hits were also a career low — and a massive drop-off from 141 last season,” Bultman wrote. “Rasmussen has always been a valued player by the Red Wings, but those aren’t good signs for a player who should be squarely in his prime at age 27, putting him on the radar if the Red Wings decide to move out bodies down the lineup.”

With the Red Wings in desperate need of a shake-up, it would be understandable if they listened to offers on Rasmussen. The Red Wings could easily find an upgrade in their bottom six if they moved Rasmussen. Due to this, it would make sense if he became a trade chip for them to dangle this season.

In 64 games this season with the Red Wings, Rasmussen recorded six goals, eight assists, and a minus-10 rating. This was after he had 11 goals and 21 points in 2024-25 and 13 goals and 33 points during the 2023-24. While the 6-foot-6 forward had a down year this campaign, his past success and versatility could make him an appealing target for some teams.

Red Wings Are Due for Some Big Changes to Their Roster

Whether the Red Wings end up trading Rasmussen or not, it is clear that they need to switch up their roster this season. Their brutal collapse at the end of the season and their playoff drought hitting 10 years make it apparent that their group just isn’t good enough right now. Thus, it would make sense if they moved on from a first-round pick like Rasmussen after he had a tough season.

It will be interesting to see what happens with Rasmussen during the summer. In 454 career NHL games with the Red Wings over seven seasons, the 2017 ninth-overall pick has 66 goals, 88 assists, 154 points, and 746 hits.