Training camp is creeping up fast, and the Detroit Red Wings still have the biggest job on their offseason checklist unresolved: finding a new general manager. That hire is expected soon, because Detroit has too much hanging in the balance to let this drag on much longer.
There is, at least, one clear piece of good news on the roster front. Alex DeBrincat says he wants to stay in Detroit.
The winger, who is entering the final season of his four-year, $31.5 million contract, made his position clear on Tuesday even with the front office situation unsettled, Dylan Larkin’s trade request looming, and Patrick Kane gone. “When a new GM (is announced), I’m sure there’s going to be some conversations, but you know, as of right now, my opinion hasn’t changed,” DeBrincat told NHL.com.
“I love playing for the Red Wings. I love wearing that jersey and battling with those guys out there.
My intention is obviously to stay in Detroit.”
DeBrincat is coming off the most productive offensive season of his career with the Red Wings. He led the team with 41 goals and 85 points, and over three seasons in Detroit he has piled up 107 goals, which is 10 more than Larkin during that span.
He is eligible for an extension, but those talks are on pause until the club names its next GM. For now, he says his attention has shifted to getting ready for next season.
Larkin’s situation remains tied to a different kind of uncertainty, and Quinn Hughes may be part of what shapes it. Larkin’s preferred landing spot is believed to be the Minnesota Wild, where Team USA teammates Hughes, Matt Boldy and Brock Faber are already in place. But that picture gets murkier if Hughes decides Minnesota is not where he wants his future to be.
On Tuesday, NHL insider Chris Johnston said on TSN that Hughes has had a hard time deciding what he wants to do with his career. Hughes has long wanted to eventually play with his brothers, Jack and Luke, and Johnston also noted that he enjoyed his time in Minnesota after last season’s trade.
If Hughes commits to the Wild, Minnesota stays squarely in play for Larkin. If he doesn’t, Larkin may need to rethink whether that destination still makes sense - and whether other teams should be added to his list.
It’s even possible the uncertainty around Hughes could push Larkin to reconsider the trade request itself.
Another important Detroit piece appears ready to show up to camp despite his own contract situation. Pierre LeBrun reported Tuesday that Simon Edvinsson intends to report even though the restricted free agent has not yet signed an extension.
At 23, Edvinsson has already become a key part of Detroit’s defense. The sixth-overall pick in the 2021 NHL Draft is expected to take on a major role alongside Moritz Seider in 2026-27, and camp gives him a chance to get back on the ice with his teammates before the season begins.
The Red Wings still need to work out a deal with one of their most important long-term assets, and the length and value of that contract could have real consequences for the team’s salary cap flexibility. Even so, Edvinsson’s decision to attend camp is a positive sign, though his future remains unresolved until a new GM is in place.
There was also movement in the GM search itself. Tigers GM Jeff Greenberg took himself out of the running, saying he wants to finish what he started with the Tigers.
Elsewhere, Tony Wolak laid out the many jobs Detroit’s next general manager will need to tackle almost immediately after taking over, while Logan Horn revisited the 2019 NHL Draft and redrafted the Wings’ class with a time-machine exercise. Once Detroit finally makes the hire, the ripple effects should begin to sort out Larkin’s request and the rest of the summer’s unfinished business.
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