Could the Detroit Red Wings land Jeremy Swayman from the Boston Bruins? With the 2023 NHL Draft on the horizon, the Red Wings hold an advantageous position, possessing an impressive five of the top 50 picks. This abundance of draft assets presents a valuable opportunity for the Red Wings to navigate the trade market and strategically enhance their roster. As they stand at a critical juncture in their rebuilding process, the organization aims to capitalize on the substantial value they have accumulated over the years, taking a significant leap forward in their progress. While draft picks are highly prized for securing future talent, the Red Wings have also sparked speculation by considering the packaging of some picks to acquire impactful players at various positions or potentially moving up the draft order to secure a prospect who captures their enthusiasm.

Key Points

• Red Wings could potentially acquire Swayman in a trade with the Boston Bruins.
• The Red Wings hold valuable draft picks, offering them leverage in the trade market.
• Established NHL players hold immediate value and can make an impact on the team.
• Cap constraints for the Bruins make it difficult for them to extend Swayman's contract.
• Detroit has a history of successfully acquiring goaltenders in similar trade scenarios.

Detroit Red Wings would land G Jeremy Swayman in proposed trade

In a recent analysis by Logan Horn of The Hockey Writers, various mock trades were explored, including one that would see the Detroit Red Wings acquiring Swayman from the Boston Bruins. According to Horn, a potential trade scenario could involve the following:

Boston Bruins Receive: 41st overall pick

Detroit Red Wings Receive: Jeremy Swayman (RFA rights), Mike Reilly

Here is some of Horn's rationale for the trade:

The Bruins have a bit under $5 million in cap space next year and haven’t signed UFAs like Patrice Bergeron, David Krejci, Tyler Bertuzzi, and Trent Frederic, as well as RFA goaltender Jeremy Swayman. In fact, the team only has seven forwards signed right now so even if they filled those roster spots with players on league minimum contracts, they’d be nearly at the salary cap. With this in mind, I don’t think the Bruins will be able to afford to extend Swayman.

If you’re a Red Wings fan, this kind of trade might sound familiar after Detroit made similar deals for the rights to sign goaltenders Alex Nedeljkovic and Ville Husso in consecutive years (2021 and 2022 offseasons), finding goaltenders who had recently bloomed into quality NHL players on good teams who couldn’t afford to extend them. Detroit has been able to take advantage of that both times, landing Ned and Husso for greatly reduced rates (each goalie only cost Detroit a third round pick), and I think they could do it again here.

Bottom Line – A Goaltending Boost for Detroit?

The potential trade involving Jeremy Swayman presents an intriguing opportunity for the Detroit Red Wings to solidify their goaltending position. By leveraging their valuable draft picks, the Red Wings could acquire a promising young netminder who has demonstrated his ability at the NHL level. If successful, this trade could prove instrumental in the team's ongoing rebuild and aspirations for future competitiveness. As the NHL Draft approaches, fans eagerly await the outcome and the potential impact it could have on the Red Wings roster. Nation, do you think Red Wings' GM Steve Yzerman should make a play for Swayman? If so, do you think the package listed above would be a fair price?

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