The Detroit Red Wings are heading toward training camp with a roster that still feels unfinished and a front office situation that hasn’t settled, either. With no one in the GM chair after parting ways with Steve Yzerman, the team has been quiet, and the calendar is already closing in on prospect development camp in two weeks.
That leaves the Red Wings staring at a familiar problem: young players being asked to accelerate their development because there doesn’t appear to be an outside fix coming. One of the biggest needs entering the offseason was a top-six forward, ideally a center. Instead, Detroit came away with Viktor Arvidsson and lost Patrick Kane, one of its top-six centers.
That puts a lot on the shoulders of Emmitt Finnie, who needs to avoid a sophomore slump if the Red Wings want their forward group to settle into something workable. If Finnie takes another step, Detroit could slide him down to the second-line wing, move Alex DeBrincat up to the first line, and use Arvidsson on the second line.
But the real hinge point may be who lines up at center behind Dylan Larkin. Marco Kasper’s sophomore season has already been talked about plenty, but the reality is that the young Austrian centerman is in a make-or-break year. If Andrew Copp is the other top-six center, there won’t be much to get excited about at the position.
If Kasper can drive play as a second-line center and look more like he did as a rookie, that changes the feel of the whole lineup. It also eases some of the pressure if and when Larkin is out of the lineup. Moving Kasper all the way to the top line would be asking a lot, but when the roster is short on answers, teams do what they have to do.
There’s also a youth wave still trying to force its way through. Last season, several younger prospects made their NHL debuts and cracked the opening night roster. Three rookies played in the first month, but injuries and the development curve eventually left Finnie as the only one still on the 23-man roster.
This year should give Detroit a few more chances to hand out jobs to players who are finally healthy. Michael Brandsegg-Nygard was the first rookie sent down to the AHL, but his physical game and quick release turned heads by season’s end. Now that he has a full year of North American hockey behind him, he has a legitimate chance to make an impact wherever he lands in the lineup.
Carter Mazur and Nate Danielson are also in the mix to help round out the bottom six. The challenge for both is simple: earn the spot and show they can take the punishment that comes with a full NHL season.
In Other News...
Red Wings Suddenly Tied To A Goalie Decision That Could Change Everything
Connor Hellebuycks revelation that he privately asked the Winnipeg Jets for a trade a few months ago immediately put a new spotlight on one of the NHLs most important goalie situations. The request was made with Hellebuyck saying he wanted a change for himself and his family, and Jets general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff has since acknowledged the desire without offering any update on where things stand.
Around the league, the idea has naturally stirred speculation about possible landing spots, including a handful of teams that could use stability in net. Detroit has been mentioned in that broader conversation, which makes this worth watching from the Red Wings perspective even if nothing is imminent, because a franchise-altering goalie move like this would ripple far beyond Winnipeg and could reshape the market in a hurry. [Read more 🡒]
Red Wings Roster Squeeze Is Putting One Veteran Forward On Edge
The Red Wings are still sorting through their opening night picture after a flurry of roster changes, and the squeeze is starting to show up among the forwards. Detroit has added pieces and moved on from others, which has left the coaching staff with more options than certainty as it weighs how best to balance skill, checking, and lineup flexibility for the start of the season.
Mason Appleton has emerged as a possible odd man out, largely because the Wings already have plenty of defensive-minded forwards and his offense has been limited. Detroit can keep him around as a depth option, but there is also a path where a prospect pushes into that spot and changes the math quickly, leaving Appleton waiting to see whether he still fits in the clubs plans. [Read more 🡒]
Red Wings Now Face A Dylan Larkin Situation Nobody Saw Coming
Dylan Larkins future has become one of the most unexpected storylines in the league as the longtime Red Wings center enters a new phase of his career. With a move now on the table and rival front offices starting to circle, the conversation in Detroit has shifted quickly from what he means to the franchise to what it would take to move him at all.
Minnesota and Florida have both been mentioned as possible landing spots, but the market still feels unsettled and there is no deal in place. The situation has the kind of ripple effect that reaches beyond one locker room, especially when a player of Larkins stature is involved, and it is the sort of development that invites comparisons to other star situations around the NHL while leaving the real answer frustratingly out of reach for now. [Read more 🡒]