Red Wings, Sabres Discussing Trade Options

The Detroit Red Wings and Buffalo Sabres might be the next group of teams to work out a big trade.

Dec 9, 2024; Buffalo, New York, USA; Detroit Red Wings right wing Alex DeBrincat (93) scores a goal on Buffalo Sabres goaltender James Reimer (47) during the first period at KeyBank Center. Mandatory Credit: Timothy T. Ludwig-Imagn Images / Timothy T. Ludwig-Imagn Images

It wasn’t long after the end of the NHL roster freeze that trades picked back up, but the Detroit Red Wings and Buffalo Sabres might be next to finalize a deal. Currently the bottom two teams in the Eastern Conference, the Red Wings and Sabres are falling well short of the expectations they had heading into the 2024-25 season.

According to Elliotte Friedman on Sportsnet’s Saturday Headlines, there is reason to believe there may be something brewing between the Red Wings and Sabres.

“The Red Wings and Sabres continue to scout each other,” Friedman said. “I do think those two teams looked at something there right before the break. We’ll see if that continues.”

Derek Lalonde entered the season on a bit of a hot seat with the Red Wings and was relieved of his duties before returning from the break. Todd McLellan stepped in as the newest Red Wings head coach, but that may have just been the first move of a few right around the corner in Detroit.

No one on the Red Wings’ roster sticks out as a top trade piece but the Sabres have seen a few names pop up in the rumor mill. Forward Dylan Cozens and defenseman Bowen Byram are key names to keep an eye on as the trade deadline approaches.

Friedman didn’t dive into any details about who may be on the move from what team, but there seems to be some sort of noise between the two sides.

Both the Red Wings and Sabres have 30 standings points, but Detroit has the edge with a .429 points percentage. With a 13-18-4 record, the Red Wings are just ahead of the Sabres with a 13-19-4 record.

While no teams are officially eliminated from playoff contention, it seems like both the Red Wings and Sabres will see their postseason droughts extended another year. They’ll look to regroup and exceed expectations in the 2025-26 season.

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