As of October 2026 ET, the Red Wings’ trade deadline decision involving soderblom is drawing fresh scrutiny. Detroit moved forward Elmer Soderblom to the Pittsburgh Penguins in a deal that helped set up later transactions, and the early returns now look rough for the Red Wings. The move was made amid a surplus of bottom-six forwards, but the immediate production shift has made the trade look costly.
Detroit’s deadline plan is already under the microscope
The Red Wings first brought back David Perron from the Ottawa Senators for a 2026 fourth-round pick. They then made a bigger swing for defenseman Justin Faulk from the St. Louis Blues, sending a 2026 first-round pick, the San Jose Sharks’ 2026 third-round pick, prospect Dmitri Buchelnikov and blueliner Justin Holl in return.
Those moves matter because the Soderblom trade helped supply one of the draft picks later used in the Faulk deal. Detroit had reasons to reshape its roster, but the chain of transactions is now being judged through the lens of results. The Red Wings also missed the playoffs, while the Senators reached the postseason.
Soderblom has surged since leaving Detroit
Before the trade, soderblom had posted just two goals and one assist in 39 games for Detroit this season. After the move, he found a much better rhythm with Pittsburgh, producing five goals and 10 points in 20 games. That contrast is why the deal is already being viewed as a mistake for Detroit.
In the same window, Perron cooled off in Detroit, managing just three goals and a minus-9 rating in 16 games after returning. Faulk provided offense from the point with five goals and eight points in 17 games, but Detroit’s collapse down the stretch left the cost of the first-round pick hanging over the move. The Soderblom trade now sits alongside those outcomes as one more deadline decision that is harder to defend.
What the Red Wings were trying to solve
The Red Wings were trying to address depth and strengthen the roster for a late push. With bottom-six forwards in surplus, moving soderblom appeared to fit the roster math at the time. But the sharp change in his production after the trade has turned that logic into a problem for Detroit.
For a team that already watched the postseason slip away, the deadline is being remembered less for ambition than for the price of the choices made. If soderblom keeps producing in Pittsburgh while Detroit continues to live with its deadline record, this move will remain one of the clearest symbols of how quickly a trade can age badly.
