Countdown to TradeCentre: Will the Red Wings buy or sell?

The NHL's March 7 Trade Deadline is approaching, and teams are making decisions on whether to buy or sell, and on which players can make the biggest difference and hold the greatest value. Check out today's trade rumours and speculation from around the NHL beat.

Will the Red Wings swing big?

The Detroit Red Wings sit in a playoff spot during the 4 Nations Face-Off break and could reach the postseason for the first time since 2016 this spring. 

However, with just a one-point cushion on two teams below them, it's unclear whether general manager Steve Yzerman will use this opportunity to be a buyer at the deadline for the first time in his tenure with the team. 

Ansar Khan of MLive.com believes the Red Wings are one of the many teams with interest in acquiring Dylan Cozens from the Buffalo Sabres. 

Khan notes that the Red Wings still have a focus on the future and doubts Yzerman would part with promising talents Marco Kasper or Simon Edvinsson, but wonders if 24-year-old winger Jonatan Berggren is a piece the team could dangle. 

Berggren, a second-round pick in 2018, has nine goals and 17 points in 53 games this season, failing to find a top-six spot in Detroit. He had a promising rookie campaign in 2022-23, posting 15 goals and 28 points in 67 games, but spent most of last season in the AHL.

Khan believes the Red Wings could offer Berggren and a protected first-round pick for Cozens, though its unclear if the Sabres would accept that offer. 

Cozens appears to be a popular name on the trade market, with TSN Hockey Insider Darren Dreger stating earlier this month that "about two thirds of the league has checked in" on the Sabres forward. The Calgary Flames are among those teams, but Dreger noted the Sabres would only consider a hockey deal to move the 24-year-old centre, who's signed through 2029-30 at a cap hit of $7.1 million.

Cozens has 11 goals and 27 points in 54 games with the Sabres this season, his fifth with the team after being selected seventh overall in the 2019 draft.

But if the Red Wings sell...

Allan Mitchell of The Athletic believes the Edmonton Oilers should be targeting Red Wings veteran Patrick Kane to boost their offence ahead of the deadline.

Mitchell argues that even at 36, Kane still has the foot speed to play on a line with Connor McDavid and could take the already successful Oilers power play (operating at 25 per cent) to another level. 

Oilers general manager Stan Bowman told The Athletic earlier this week he's focused on adding depth ahead of the deadline, but did not rule out acquiring a big name player.

"We have been fortunate — knock on wood — to not have many guys injured all year. We hope that continues. But you look around the league and you see some teams have five or six guys out at a time. When that happens is when you’re going to be tested the most," Bowman explained. "I don’t think we have any glaring issues. If you look at our roster, it’s not like, 'Wow, there’s this huge hole that they have to go fill that.' I would say it’s maybe a little different than that, and it’s more what types of players are available? How would they fit with your group? What would that change for your guys that you already have? How could their roles morph into something different, and could that make you a better team if you did that? That’s what we’re analyzing right now.

"It may not be a big-name addition — or it may be. It’s still a little bit early to try to prognosticate that. I’m looking at a lot of different options, and we’re not ruling things out. But we’re also realizing that we have a lot of good players here. But that can change quick if you have a few injuries."

Kane has 12 goals and 31 points in 45 games this season while playing out a one-year, $4 million contract after re-signing with the Red Wings last summer. 

First 4 Nations trade

The Pittsburgh Penguins and St. Louis Blues completed the first trade of the 4 Nations Face-Off break on Thursday.

The Penguins acquired forward Mathias Laferriere from the St. Louis Blues in exchange for winger Corey Andonovski in a swap of AHL players. 

Laferriere has two goals and 10 points in 33 games this season with the Springfield Thunderbirds. The 24-year-old was selected by the Blues in the sixth round of the 2018 draft. 

Andonovski, 25, has three goals and five points in 27 games with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. He was undrafted and joined the Penguins after three years at Princeton University.

Both players are scheduled for unrestricted free agency this summer. Neither of the two has played an NHL game in their career.

Action otherwise remains quiet with the eyes of the league on the 4 Nations Face-Off, with trade talk expected to heat back up afterwards in the final stretch to the deadline.