Red Wings Trade Rumors: Detroit Emerges As Odds-On Favorite To Land Robert Thomas After Sabres Deal Falls Through

With the 2026 NHL Trade Deadline arriving Friday at 3 p.m. ET, the Detroit Red Wings have emerged as the clear frontrunner to land St. Louis Blues center Robert Thomas. 

Detroit sits at +210 in the latest odds, well ahead of the Boston Bruins (+325), Utah Mammoth (+400), and a crowded field that stretches to the Tampa Bay Lightning at +2000.

The Red Wings sit at 35-20-7, squarely in the Eastern Conference playoff race, and Steve Yzerman has made it clear he’s going all-in before Friday’s buzzer.

Robert Thomas Next Team Odds

*odds via BetOnline

Yzerman Is Swinging Big

According to Marco D’Amico of RG.org, Yzerman has cast a wide net across the entire top-six center market, targeting Vincent Trocheck, Elias Pettersson, Nazem Kadri, and Thomas. 

Detroit is reportedly open to moving premium assets to land one of those players. Most notably, both Marco Kasper and Axel Sandin-Pellika have surfaced in trade discussions. 

Kasper, a 2022 first-round pick who projects as a top-six NHL center, is among Detroit’s most prized prospects. That his name is on the table says everything about how serious Yzerman is.

Thomas is the crown jewel of this deadline. 

The 26-year-old is in year three of an eight-year, $8.125M AAV deal running through 2030-31. Whoever acquires him isn’t renting a center for a playoff run, they’re adding a cornerstone for the next five-plus seasons. Thomas posted back-to-back 80-point campaigns before this injury-shortened year, and he remains the most impactful player available by a wide margin.

Elliotte Friedman said there’s a “decent chance” Thomas gets moved before Friday and that talks had “heated up around him a bit,” also noting the existing trade history between Detroit and St. Louis as a potential facilitating factor.

Buffalo Blinked — And Montreal Backed Off

The biggest development of the past 24 hours has been good news for Detroit: the competition is thinning. 

TSN’s Darren Dreger reported Wednesday that Blues-Sabres talks “went the distance” but collapsed. “Sounds like the Sabres aren’t willing to part with the necessary pieces,” Dreger wrote. Buffalo has since pivoted toward Blues defensemen Justin Faulk and Colton Parayko — effectively confirming their run at Thomas is dead.

Pierre LeBrun separately confirmed Montreal has backed away too. “When the ask involves the likes of Michael Hage, David Reinbacher, plus, plus, it doesn’t make sense right now from the Habs’ perspective,” LeBrun said.

With the two most frequently discussed alternatives out of the picture, Detroit stands as the most credible, motivated suitor left, with Utah and Boston close behind.

The Price Is High But Detroit Hasn’t Flinched

Doug Armstrong is not discounting his star center. 

The Blues are last in the Central at 23-29-9, but Thomas is signed through 2030-31 at a team-friendly number, which means Armstrong can walk away from Friday’s deadline without dealing him and revisit in the summer with the same leverage.

The asking price has been consistently described as “astronomical” with the Quinn Hughes deal (three first-round picks, two blue-chip prospects, and more) cited as the market floor. 

The Blues want three to four premium assets: multiple prospects, a roster player, and at minimum a first-round pick. Thomas also carries a full no-trade clause, so he’ll need to sign off on any destination.

D’Amico put it plainly: “Everyone across the league is backing down from the high price set by Doug Armstrong.”

Detroit hasn’t. With Yzerman willing to include Kasper and potentially Sandin-Pellika, and with cap space and draft capital to sweeten the deal, the Red Wings are better positioned than anyone to meet Armstrong’s ask. 

The Red Wings haven’t made the playoffs since 2016 but they’ve suddenly emerged as a realistic Stanley Cup contender.  

With Buffalo and Montreal out of the picture, Detroit holds all the leverage and with the clock winding down toward Friday’s buzzer, Robert Thomas looks like he’ll be singing the rhythm and blues in Motown.