NHL Trade Rumors: 5 deals the Red Wings should make

1. Acquire a mid- to late-round pick for Xavier Ouellet

Xavier Ouellet has fallen out of favor with head coach Jeff Blashill this season. The defenseman has become a regular healthy scratch in 2017-18 and has barely seen the ice. He is a former second-round pick who has struggled to have a major impact. Ouellet could benefit from a change of scenery and steady playing time. In the past, he put up plenty of points in juniors, but that has not translated to the NHL. Ouellet needs to improve his skating ability to become an everyday starter in the NHL.

A team can offer Detroit a mid- to late-round draft pick and pick up Ouellet. Taking a shot on a player like him could pay off for someone. He easily could slide into the bottom pair of a team with poor defensive depth or get sent down to the minors to keep working on his game. He is a project and will need some work on his skating ability to get him back to second round value.

Next: NHL Trade deadline five teams that will be buyers at the deadline

Detroit could be busy at the deadline. The Red Wings have a lot of pieces with which to make deals and gain future assets. The Wings are not making a lot of noise in terms of trade rumors, but could end up being one of the league’s busiest clubs.