The Detroit Red Wings may still leave people guessing everywhere else, but on the blue line there’s at least something taking shape. For a team that spent the offseason watching offense walk out the door, the early return from its defense is a group that looks deeper, faster and far more interesting than anything Detroit has iced back there in years.
Anton Johansson is the name leading that charge. He’s been the one drawing the most attention, and for good reason.
Since fans first started tuning into him, he’s looked like someone the Red Wings badly need in Detroit. The game still has room to grow - as it does for all defensemen - but the flashes have been there from the start.
Johansson’s rise has been steady since the 2022 NHL Entry Draft, the same year as Marco Kasper. The energy he brings has stayed intact, too. The smile, the attitude, the upbeat edge - none of that has gone anywhere.
He made an early impression on fans this season by becoming a nuisance for Sidney Crosby. That kind of showing only adds to the sense that Detroit has something real here. As he develops, the enthusiasm around him should keep building.
“I call him the pendulum, because when he’s on the ice the Red Wings change. Each time Detroit looks stagnant, Johansson hops over the boards. From there, he attempts to make plays (for better or worse, of course).”
That ability to move the puck matters for a team that has struggled for years just to get north. Johansson’s breakout work has already stood out, and that alone gives Detroit something it has lacked for a long time.
Axel Sandin-Pellikka brings a different kind of chaos. When he’s out there, the pace changes immediately.
He’s willing to carry the puck himself, attack the offensive zone and live with the turbulence that comes with it. For a team that keeps getting stopped at the opposing blue line, that sort of aggression is valuable.
With Sandin-Pellikka and Johansson activating more often, other pieces can shift around them. Lucas Raymond has already shown the ability to cover the point, and the group is starting to look more like a five-man unit that understands how to work together instead of five separate players wearing the same sweater.
It isn’t perfect, and it doesn’t need to be. The encouraging part is that the buy-in is real.
There’s also the possibility of a full season from Justin Faulk, who has looked strong at the end of last season, in the World Championships this summer and in preseason. Add Moritz Seider on the right side, and the picture gets even more intriguing.
The left side is still the soft spot, especially with Edvinsson unsigned. That has pushed Detroit into trying Faulk and/or Johansson on the left, which is an unusual setup.
Right-shot defensemen on the left side are not common, even if the idea can create a better scoring angle. It also makes the rest of the job harder.
If the Red Wings choose a lineup with 11 forwards and seven defensemen, Sandin-Pellikka could become even more useful alongside players like Seider, with Faulk or Johansson on the left side. In the right situation, his shot could be a weapon.
And Sandin-Pellikka clearly believes in it.
Back in preseason, he scored a big goal from Anton Johansson. Before that, he told Johansson that “if he wants an apple to get it in his wheelhouse” - a comment Johansson later relayed to the media.
That kind of confidence only works if the player can back it up, and Sandin-Pellikka has shown enough to make it matter. Detroit has missed that sort of swagger before.
Players like Petr Mrázek and Filip Zadina had some of it, but things didn’t work out the way the organization hoped. Sandin-Pellikka feels different, and that edge could be part of what this team needs.
Even if the coaching staff sticks with a more traditional 12 forwards and six defensemen, or keeps Faulk or Johansson on the left side, the Red Wings still look noticeably better on defense than they did a year ago. They’ve done it without signing their number two defenseman, without a trade and without a free-agent splash.
The names may not carry the same shine as Patrick Kane or Dylan Larkin yet, and the numbers may not jump off the page. But Detroit’s blue line looks new, looks deeper and looks ready to make some noise of its own.
In Other News...
Red Wings Standings Chase Just Got Tougher In The Atlantic
The Atlantic race is getting a little tighter for Detroit to navigate, with Ottawa set to add some important bodies back into its lineup after a stretch of injury absences. Defensemen Jake Sanderson and Artem Zub are expected back within the next few days, and forward Andr Burakovsky is also nearing a return from an upper-body injury, giving the Senators a chance to steady themselves at a time when every point matters in the division.
Detroit, meanwhile, made a pair of its own roster moves by activating forwards Chase Stillman and Carter Bear from the injured list and sending both to Grand Rapids. For the Red Wings, those transactions are more about keeping the pipeline moving than altering the NHL picture right away, but they underscore how quickly the standings chase can shift when rivals start getting healthier and depth pieces are being sorted out on both sides. [Read more 🡒]
Red Wings May Already Have Another Goalie Worth Watching
Michal Postava is off to a strong start in Grand Rapids, and the early returns have already given the Red Wings organization something else to monitor in net. He stopped 36 shots in a 2-1 win over the Manitoba Moose, helping the Griffins keep rolling at home and improve to 2-0-1-0 on the season.
For a team always watching its goaltending pipeline, Postavas first two games have stood out even more because of how calm he has looked. The Griffins have won their last four home openers, and with Postava posting a 1.50 goals-against average and a .947 save percentage so far, there is at least a little more reason to pay attention every time he gets the crease. [Read more 🡒]
Red Wings Suddenly Get A Tougher Canadiens Matchup Tonight
The Canadiens are getting a significant boost on the blue line tonight, and it comes at a time when theyve already been trying to sharpen the edges of their roster. Kaiden Guhle is set to make his season debut after missing the first four games following offseason surgery on his adductor muscle, and Montreal plans to slot him next to Mike Matheson against the Red Wings.
To make room for Guhles return, Montreal recently moved Jayden Struble out of the picture in a trade with Nashville for a 2027 second-round pick. For Detroit, it means the matchup suddenly looks a little stiffer on a night when the Canadiens can roll out a more complete defense and lean on a player theyve been waiting to get back. [Read more 🡒]