Detroit Red Wings: Reasons To Not Move A Top Forward This Season

The Detroit Red Wings are nearing the end of a rebuild, and during a rebuild moving talent is always a great idea, but now that the organization has reached the end, it is not the time to do that. Rumors may have the Red Wings moving a top forward, but that should NOT be the case.

As a Wings fan, if asked “who are the top forwards on the Detroit Red Wings right now?” most will quickly answer “Andreas Athanasiou, Anthony Mantha, and Dylan Larkin” which is true. Now, how would you feel if the Red Wings went out and traded one or more of these players this year for more prospects, substantially prolonging the rebuild, the simple answer is, not good, not good at all.

Take a moment, welcome to reality, Larkin is the future captain of this team, he will be the leader, and there is absolutely no way that kid gets traded. In other news, BOTH Athanasiou and Mantha are restricted free agents(RFA) who are arbitration-eligible after the 2019-20 season.

Throughout the Red Wings rebuild, the organization has parted ways with multiple “top forwards” like Gustav Nyquist, Tomas Tatar, and Thomas Vanek (who was resigned) so one could speculate that with RFA seasons coming up, Athanasiou and/or Mantha could be on the move.

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Here’s the thing, moving Athanasiou and/or Mantha would be detrimental to the franchise as well as the rebuild. The hope should remain that both of these players are brought on for the long haul and will play key roles through the remainder of this rebuild so a trade would do the opposite.

Think about the current state of the team, a team who (according to the WAR calculations from last year) could very likely finish with close to a .500 record could definitely see playoffs in the near future. If the Detroit Red Wings trade a top forward now, they’re instantly applying pressure to guys like Filip Zadina, Joe Veleno, and Taro Hirose to fill those gaps.

The way things currently stand, the Detroit Red Wings are on a great pace, they are going to be competitive, and providing development goes well for the youngsters, they will be GOOD for quite some time. Looking at things this way, the question should be asked, why on earth would the franchise move any of the top forwards?

Essentially, there are three main reasons not to move a guy like Athanasiou or Mantha at a time like this…

1. The rebuild is almost complete; a trade just sets the team back when you move a top forward.
2. With RFA and arbitration contract years coming up, now is the time to sign these guys and lock them down for the long haul.
3. Contrary to what most people think, a heaven-sent defenseman like Drew Doughty will cost more than Athanasiou or Mantha and trading both of them would just be plain ignorant.

The bottom line is that the Red Wings are genuinely in a good spot, it may not look like it, but the way it looks is different from the way it will be. The forwards are in a good spot; they will be able to continue development, focus more on winning, and breed new talent with the young players who are still at the AHL level.

A star defensemen, the solid number one type like a Drew Doughty should be targeted in free agency, NOT a trade where the organization gives up half of itself. Goaltending remains the variable, Howard’s age has caught up, but former NCAA star Filip Larsson should offer a promising future sooner rather than later which, yet again, bodes well for the team’s success.