Detroit Red Wings: Johnny Gaudreau trade is unlikely but is a fun concept

The Detroit Red Wings are likely not going to be in on any big trades this year. The biggest trade of recent was the move that sent Anthony Mantha over to the Washington Capitals in exchange for Richard Panik, Jakub Vrána, and a first-round pick in the upcoming 2021-22 draft.

There was some scuffling of rumors that the Detroit Red Wings are in on Jack Eichel, who seems to be in a pretty unhappy situation over in Buffalo, but those have died down. But, while we’re on the subject of trade rumors, wouldn’t it be nice for General Manager (GM) Steve Yzerman to do something major and really change things up?

That being said, looking ahead at some of the players who are likely to be moved this year, Johnny Gaudreau is one of them. The Calgary Flames forward is on the hook for one more season and could be a hot commodity in the 2021-22 season.

If the Flames choose to shake things up and move things around, Gaudreau might be on the way out and be a trade deadline acquisition. However, if Steve Yzerman wants to really shake things up, why not look into a trade for the Flames scorer?

The Detroit Red Wings are highly unlikely to trade for Johnny Gaudreau, but the concept is fun to think about.

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As it stands now, the Flames are set to pay Gaudreau $6.75 million for the 2021-22 season, after which he will become an unrestricted free agent.

It’s kind of absurd to think that the Red Wings would pull off such a deal, but looking at the concept is at least fun in the dog days of summer.

However, Gaudreau has an ace up his sleeve, which makes things even harder for the Red Wings to work something out.

If a trade were to happen, it has to be worked out before July 28th, 2021, because at that point, Gaudreau gets a modified no-trade clause which allows him to veto a trade to anywhere but a five-team list of his choosing.

The 27-year-old forward would definitely be an asset; he could be added to the Red Wings’ top six and be a scoring threat alongside the likes of Tyler Bertuzzi, Dylan Larkin, Jakub Vrána, Filip Zadina, etc., which is quite an improvement for this organization to start turning things around.

In the 2020-21’s shortened season, Gaudreau managed 19 goals and 30 assists for 49 total points over 56 games played for the Flames. The offensive forward has a career-high of 99 total points, which he managed in 2018-19, but only mustered 58 points in 70 games over the 2019-20 season.

If the Red Wings wanted to make a big splash in the trade market and start jumpstarting the rebuild, an addition of Gaudreau would be clutch. After trading for Gaudreau, they could go out and immediately re-sign him to an extension.

The bigger question here is if “Johnny Hockey” is really a good fit or if the Red Wings would be breeding a locker room headache if he signs an extension then does not enjoy it here. I’d expect Gaudreau to end up on the east coast closer to home, being a New Jersey kid and a Boston College product.

But if the Detroit Red Wings are really looking to shake things up, why not send a call over to the Flames to see what the price on Johnny Gaudreau is. Who knows, maybe Steve Yzerman can work some of his magic and get “Johnny Hockey” into the Yzerplan.