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Could the Red Wings land Flames defenseman MacKenzie Weegar with this trade pitch?
Now that the Olympics are over, trade talk around the NHL is undoubtedly going to pick up. The NHL Olympic roster freeze has been lifted, so clubs around the NHL will be looking to make deals. The Detroit Red Wings are certainly a team to keep an eye, as they are in a position to do some business.
After missing the playoffs for nine straight years and failing to take that next step, the Red Wings have undoubtedly been trending in the right direction this season. The Red Wings are currently third in the Atlantic Division standings with a 33-19-6 record and 72 points. With this, they certainly should be buyers ahead of the 2026 NHL trade deadline. This is especially so when noting that they have roughly $60 million of deadline cap space to work with.
When looking at the Red Wings’ current roster, one of their biggest needs is another impactful right-shot defenseman. The right side of their blueline certainly could use a big boost, and the rumor mill has some intriguing names floating around it.
One trade candidate who could make a lot of sense for the Red Wings to pursue is Calgary Flames defenseman MacKenzie Weegar. Due to this, we here at Heavy Sports have a trade pitch that would have the Flames trade Weegar to the Red Wings in a huge splash.
Red Wings Get:
Flames Get:
2026 First-Round Pick
2027 Fourth-Round Pick
Shai Buium
Red Wings Have Been Linked to MacKenzie Weegar
With the Flames in the middle of a rebuild and being clear sellers at the deadline, Weegar has been creating plenty of chatter as a trade candidate. The Red Wings have also now been linked to the veteran defenseman.
In a recent article for Postmedia, Bruce Garrioch reported that the Red Wings are among the teams that have interest in Weegar.
“We’ve stated in this space that the Senators have shown interest in Calgary blueliner MacKenzie Weegar, who has a cap hit of $6.25 million U.S. through the 2030-31 campaign. He would stabilize the right side in the club’s top four,” Garrioch wrote. “We believe the Wings have also shown interest in Weegar.”
The Red Wings being interested in Weegar is very easy to understand. There is no question that the right side of their defense needs some help, and landing a high-impact blueliner like Weegar would provide them with just that.
When looking at the Red Wings’ current roster, Weegar could slot perfectly on their second pairing with Ben Chiarot. Furthermore, he would also give Detroit another clear option for their power play and penalty kill if acquired.
Flames’ Weegar Should Generate Plenty of Interest
With Weegar being one of the top defensemen in the rumor mill right now, there is no question that he should generate a lot of trade interest leading up to the deadline. Garrioch noted that the Senators are one specific club that has expressed interest in Weegar.
As a result, the Red Wings should have plenty of competition in the Weegar sweepstakes. It will be interesting to see if they end up landing him ahead of the deadline from here.
Michael DeRosa Michael covers the NHL for Heavy.com. He has professionally covered the NHL since 2017 and has written for other publications like The Hockey News, BetMGM, Athlon Sports, and The Hockey Writers. More about Michael DeRosa
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