Through 16 games, the Red Wings have put together a 7-6-3 start that leaves them in an odd spot: last in the Atlantic Division, yet 19th in the league overall. The record may not jump off the page, but Detroit has quietly handled a messy backdrop well, brushing aside the Dylan Larkin trade request saga and the chatter around Simon Edvinsson’s contract situation.
Todd McLellan’s group has also looked sturdier than expected at the defensive end, and that’s been the early story worth watching. At roughly one-fifth of the way into the season, the Red Wings have shown enough to suggest there’s something real here - even if the next stretch will tell us a lot more.
The clearest sign of progress has come at five-on-five, where Detroit’s defense has been excellent to start the year, even without Edvinsson. The numbers back it up: 8th in goals against per 60, 6th in expected goals against per 60, and 5th in high-danger chances against per 60.
Defense was one of the big swing factors entering the season, especially with scoring expected to be a challenge. If the Wings were going to keep themselves afloat, this was the path.
So far, the early returns point to a team that looks better organized under McLellan’s new 1-3-1 structure.
There is, though, an obvious asterisk. Detroit’s schedule has been soft so far, and the road gets much rougher from here.
The Red Wings have played one of the easiest slates in the league to this point and have the toughest remaining schedule. Their current four-game run - a 5-3 away win over the Florida Panthers, a 4-2 away loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning, a home game against the Vegas Golden Knights, and an away game against the Colorado Avalanche - should offer a better read on what this team really is.
Right now, the group looks flawed, but resilient.
A big part of that defensive start has been William Wallinder. The sample is still small, but his 8.17 HDCA/60 jumps out for a first-year NHLer.
Detroit hasn’t hidden him, either. He’s been logging similar five-on-five minutes to Albert Johansson and Anton Johansson, while also starting a fair share of his shifts in the defensive zone.
With Edvinsson’s future in doubt, Wallinder is suddenly a player worth tracking closely.
The other rookie making noise is Michael Brandsegg-Nygard, and his impact has been more obvious. The Norwegian forward is fourth among NHL rookies with 10 points and first by a wide margin with 71 hits. He’s playing with confidence, firing the puck with purpose and bringing real edge around the net and along the boards.
Moritz Seider has also been central to Detroit’s strong start on the back end, and the old storyline around Ben Chiarot may be flipping. For a while, the thought was that Chiarot dragged Seider down when they were paired together.
Now it looks more like Seider is lifting Chiarot. The duo has allowed just 1.98 xGA/60 at five on five, which ranks 12th among defensive pairs with at least 100 minutes played.
Seider is also carrying a massive workload, averaging 26:11 in all situations per game, the sixth-most in the league. At this rate, he’ll be in the Norris Trophy conversation by the end of the season.
In goal, John Gibson’s start hasn’t been especially sharp, but there’s no reason to panic yet. He opened the 2025-26 season in a similar way before eventually finding his rhythm. Still, Detroit needs him to come up with more timely saves, especially with the offense not exactly overflowing with firepower, assuming he stays healthy.
There are also some lineup questions starting to sharpen. Andreas Englund has been serviceable, though he’s had his share of glaring mistakes.
Axel Sandin-Pellikka would be the preferred option in the lineup, and it remains a mystery why Detroit didn’t give him more power-play time before sending him to Grand Rapids. PP2 could have used Justin Faulk as the quarterback, Sandin-Pellikka on the left flank, and Brandsegg-Nygard rotating between the net front and bumper spots.
Up front, the DeBrincat-Finnie-Brandsegg-Nygard line may deserve another look. That trio posted a 64.2% expected goal share over 79 minutes together, which is a strong enough number to justify reuniting them. If that happens, Lucas Raymond, Andrew Copp, and Viktor Arvidsson could fill out the other half of the top six.
Health is also starting to shape the roster picture. Marco Kasper and Mason Appleton are close to full strength, and logic says recent recalls Sheldon Dries and John Leonard would head back down to make room.
But there’s also a case for Nate Danielson spending time on Grand Rapids’ top line, similar to what Detroit did with Sandin-Pellikka. Danielson has been a healthy scratch in four of Detroit’s 16 games and sat the last two after a poor backcheck led to a St.
Louis Blues goal on Saturday.
The one forward combination that feels locked in right now is J.T. Compher and Michael Rasmussen.
They’ve been playing too well together to split up. Either Keegan Koelsar or Mason Appleton could work on the other wing, giving Detroit a heavier line built to grind down low.
That would leave Danielson, if he remains in Detroit, on a faster, younger unit with Kasper and Carter Mazur.
For now, the Red Wings have built a decent foundation through 16 games. The defense is better, the young players are contributing, and the structure looks more stable.
The real test is coming, though. Detroit doesn’t need to have everything solved in November.
It needs to keep building an identity, keep developing its young talent, and find more reliable five-on-five offense. The next few weeks will show whether this is real progress or just the product of a friendly schedule.
In Other News...
Red Wings Suddenly Have A Goalie Problem They Feared Again
John Gibsons night against Tampa Bay ended early, and for the Red Wings, that was the kind of sight they were hoping not to see again. The veteran goaltender left with a lower-body injury and did not return, forcing Daniil Tarasov into the crease as Detroit tried to navigate the rest of the game without knowing how serious the issue might be.
The immediate concern now is less about one game and more about what comes next. The Red Wings are waiting on word on Gibsons status and how long he might be out, and if the injury keeps him sidelined, Detroit may have to look deeper into its goaltending depth sooner than expected. [Read more 🡒]
Red Wings Still Have A Ben Chiarot Problem They Can't Ignore
Detroits defense has come a long way overall, but one familiar problem keeps hanging around. Ben Chiarot has struggled in a top-pair role next to Moritz Seider, and the Red Wings cant really afford to keep pretending that pairing is working if they want the blue line to hold up over the long haul. The rest of the group has improved enough to make the issue stand out even more, because the weak link is harder to hide when the unit as a whole is trending in the right direction.
Shawn Horcoff is now in the middle of trying to sort out the roster picture, and the pressure is only going to build as the calendar keeps moving. Detroit is also trying to shore up its defensive depth, which leaves the club weighing a few different paths if Chiarots play does not turn around, including a possible trade or a shakeup in the pairings. The next stretch matters because the Red Wings need a cleaner answer on the back end before the current setup starts to feel even more fragile. [Read more 🡒]
Red Wings Hit A Frustrating Larkin Roadblock In Trade Talks
The Dylan Larkin trade chatter has taken on a familiar kind of frustration for Detroit, where the Red Wings are trying to navigate a market that has not cooperated. Larkins name has surfaced in reports as the club looks for a workable path forward, but the process has been slowed by the limits already in place, leaving the front office with fewer options than it would like as it weighs what comes next.
There has also been some behind-the-scenes pressure to widen the field, with Detroit still searching for a deal that makes sense under the current restrictions. For a team trying to manage both its present and its future, the stalemate only adds another layer to a situation that has already become more complicated than anyone around the club would prefer. [Read more 🡒]