In the past, I’ve highlighted one player per offseason that the Detroit Red Wings should pursue in a trade. Matt Roy was the target in 2023 and Yegor Sharangovich was the focus last year.
This offseason, I’ve been contemplating a few names and have gone back and forth over who to feature. The Red Wings have several organizational needs and are likely to bring in players to help at both ends of the ice.
Ultimately, I landed on a player who stays true to the hidden gem aspect of this column. He’s not a top-of-the-lineup player yet, but will be soon. There have certainly been flashes of brilliance to back this up. And that player is Alex Laferriere of the Los Angeles Kings.
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Red Wings Need to Target Alex Laferriere
Why Laferriere? For starters, he’s a 6-foot-1 forward who will be 24 in October. He just wrapped up his second NHL season where he produced 19 goals and 42 points in 77 games for the Kings.
Laferriere shoots right and plays a heavy game. He’s constantly around the crease and has no concern with using his 205-pound frame to drive to the net. Given this, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that Laferriere excels when it comes to generating high-danger chances. At five on five, his 10.23 scoring chances per 60 ranked 10th among NHL forwards who played 100-plus minutes in 2024-25. His 4.81 HDCF/60 ranked 25th.
He has above-average shot- and chance-generation microstats, per All Three Zones. He also shines on the rush, entering the offensive zone, and when it comes to creating rebounds.
In addition, he’s sound defensively. Laferriere’s 8.84 HDCA/60 and 1.66 GA/60—both at five on five—would have ranked as the best among Red Wings forwards.
Laferriere also skated under Todd McLellan during the latter’s final season in Los Angeles. That familiarity matters as McLellan builds out a roster that fits his system in Detroit.
Overall, I see Laferriere developing into a complementary forward that can play anywhere on the top three lines. In the top six, he would be the first man in on the forecheck, with his heavy game supporting the likes of Dylan Larkin, Lucas Raymond, Marco Kasper, and Alex DeBrincat. Think a Bryan Rust-type player that elevates his game playing alongside elite forwards.
Conversely, here are the forwards who did the Most Stuff per 60 at 5v5 this season: https://t.co/GdrDa0Jjvl pic.twitter.com/5AtHaspCHS
— JFresh (@JFreshHockey) May 5, 2025
Now, why would Los Angeles want to trade a player like Laferriere? The reason would be to open up cap space.
Yes, they currently have $21.7 million in cap space now, but the Kings are also expected to make a strong push to sign Mitch Marner this summer. They’re also interested in Sam Bennett. Plus, there’s still a desire to re-sign defenseman Vladislav Gavrikov.
That $21.7 million in cap space will disappear quickly. In fact, Marner and Gavrikov could occupy close to all of it.
Laferriere is a restricted free agent coming off of his entry-level deal and a couple of his comparables just got new contracts. Calgary re-signed winger Matt Coronato for seven years at $6.5 million per season. The Flyers re-signed Tyson Foerster for two years at $3.75 million. You can expect Laferriere’s next contract—whether it’s a bridge deal or long term—to be similar to one of these two.
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It wouldn’t be ideal to trade Laferriere, but his contract demands could hamper the Kings’ grand offseason plans. Plus, he’s a good enough player that they could get a solid return for him. Moving other players to free up cap space likely wouldn’t be as profitable.
Potential Red Wings Trade for Alex Laferriere
Clearly, Laferriere would be a good fit in Detroit. But what would it take to acquire him?
If Los Angeles’ goal is to create salary cap flexibility to sign some combination of Marner, Bennett, and Gavrikov, then the Red Wings can certainly offer a trade package that allows for this. With this in mind, here’s where I landed on a Kings-Red Wings trade:
Kings trade Alex Laferriere to the Red Wings for Jonatan Berggren and a 2026 second-round pick.
The logic behind his move is that it opens up cap space for Los Angeles to pursue Marner, Bennett and/or Gavrikov without Laferriere’s next deal hanging over their heads. The Kings also get a cheap player with upside in Berggren, who GM Ken Holland is familiar with. Plus, the 2026 second rounder can serve as a trade chip for next year’s trade deadline.
Final Word
If the Red Wings were to acquire Alex Laferriere, he would address a couple of organizational needs. First, he would improve Detroit’s ability to generate high-danger chances. And second, he would make the team harder to play against.
Would the Kings actually trade him? Maybe. It’s more likely that players like Trevor Moore or Warren Foegele are moved out to open up cap space. That said, he likely wouldn’t be the highest-profile player dealt this summer. And Detroit has plenty of assets to pony up if Los Angeles wants to make a move.
Data courtesy of Natural Stat Trick, PuckPedia, and All Three Zones.