With four days to go before Friday’s 3 p.m. NHL Trade Deadline, Detroit Hockey Now has received a second confirmation that the Detroit Red Wings still have interest in Winnipeg’s six-foot-seven, 231-pound defenseman Logan Stanley.

We have two sources telling us the Red Wings are trying to trade for him. We have reported the Winnipeg Jets have had scouts at Grand Rapids Griffins games. The Jets had two at one game.

The plus of Stanley is that he is a giant veteran defenseman who has shown a bit of offense this season. Stanley will have 100-plus hits and penalty minutes this season. His trade value is reasonable. The negative is that he is a left shot when the Red Wings would prefer a right shot. He’s also been a 15-16 minutes-per-game player for most of his career. However, he is averaging 17:02 this season and over the past three games (all OT contests) he has averaged 25-plus minutes.

It’s always tricky reporting on Red Wings trade rumblings because nothing leaks out of the Detroit Red Wings’ organization under GM Steve Yzerman. He keeps his trade objectives, strategy and negotiation details private. Most deals he has made have come as a complete surprise to the media. Other GMs are aware that Yzerman doesn’t like his negotiations public and some, not all, respect his wishes and won’t discuss the Red Wings with the media.

But some members of management will talk about what they think the Red Wings are trying to do. That’s why we end up with reports about the Red Wings coming from respected reporters.

Some are undoubtedly true, but some are not, or exaggerated. For example, some GMs will inflate the number of interested teams or exaggerate the seriousness of negotiations with the hope of improving offers. It’s the game within a game.

In 2024, the New York Rangers wanted to move Jacob Trouba to the Detroit Red Wings and the reporting made it seem like they were closing in on a deal. The truth was they were never close to a deal. They only had preliminary discussions.

Projecting what Yzerman will do requires guesswork. Reporters who know Yzerman project what he will do based on his history. We know what kind of players he likes. We know how he feels about salaries and contracts. He doesn’t like giving up significant assets for a rental, although he will add a rental if the price is right.

We don’t know whether Yzerman has talked to Vancouver about Elias Pettersson, although there is reporting that says he has. But Detroit Hockey Now doesn’t see Pettersson as Yzerman’s type of player, especially when you factor in that he has a contract that runs through 2031-32. If Yzerman is after a center, Vince Trocheck seems more likely.

The Red Wings will land a defenseman because they seem to be plentiful in the market. Forwards are scarcer.

But we also know, with certainty, that the asking price for forwards is particularly high, and Yzerman isn’t going to part with players like Michael Brandsegg-Nygard or Carter Bear or Axel Sandin-Pellikka for a short-term patch.

Would you give up any of those players in a deal for Trocheck? That’s the question you have to ask yourself. Teams with forwards to move are asking for top prospects.

Red Wings In Case You Missed It

Bob Duff lays out how much the Red Wings are struggling to score goals.

Paywall story: How close is defenseman William Wallinder from being ready to play in the NHL? Or will they trade him this trade deadline? To subscribe to paywall stories, click here:

Norwegian Michael Brandsegg-Nygard makes a case to return to the NHL.

Red Wings Extra

The Red Wings are playing a Monday matinee road game against the Nashville Predators (2 p.m.) to allow the NHL to present a live prime time game on European television. The game will play at 8 p.m. CET in Europe.  This game continues the marketing of the game in Europe that was spiked by the 2025 NHL Global Series Sweden and NHL players performing at the Winter Olympics in Milan and Cortino in 2026. There’s plenty of logic to having the Detroit Red Wings and Predators. Detroit of course offers a defense that has Moritz Seider (Germany), plus three Swedish players (Simon Edvinsson, Albert Johansson and Axel Sandin-Pellikka), plus Swedish forwards Lucas Raymond and Elmer Soderblom. Nashville of course has Filip Forsberg (Sweden), Erik Haula (Finland), Roman Josi (Switzerland) and Juuse Saros (Finland), et c.

Hockey Now Digest

Colorado: Aarif Deen analyzes why the Avalanche are taking too many penalties. Colorado Avalanche.

Florida: George Richards reviews another lost opportunity for the Panthers. Their playoff chances are starting to fade away. Florida Panthers. 

San Jose: Sheng Peng has got it right with Michael Misa’s development. He netted a big OT goal. San Jose Sharks. 

Vegas; Mark Stone’s injury status not yet determined after a loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins. Vegas Golden Knights.