The Detroit Red Wings have been pegged as a team that could slide backward in 2026-27, and the usual suspects are easy to spot: the offseason losses, the scoring dropoff, the depth questions. The Athletic made that case in a September 24 piece, pointing to the kind of erosion that can catch up fast.
“Patrick Kane’s departure hurts the Red Wings’ 12th-ranked power play, which helped Detroit make up for the NHL’s third-worst five-on-five offence," reads the article. "Meanwhile, James van Riemsdyk’s departure hurts Detroit’s depth scoring. The Red Wings will hope summer signing Viktor Arvidsson and rising young player Michael Brandsegg-Nygård make up for those losses, but Arvidsson’s injury history and Brandsegg-Nygård’s youth allow room for doubt.”
That concern is real. But Detroit also has a counterargument that matters just as much: the kids.
Michael Brandsegg-Nygård could be part of the answer. Nate Danielson and Marco Kasper may eventually help soften whatever comes after Dylan Larkin. Simon Edvinsson, meanwhile, looks like a top-pairing blue-liner in the making, the kind of defender who could give Moritz Seider more room to do what he does best.
That’s a pretty appealing foundation when you add in legitimate finishers like Alex DeBrincat and Lucas Raymond. Suddenly, the Red Wings don’t look like a team waiting to be pushed around.
If Detroit does avoid a step back, though, the season may be decided in goal.
John Gibson had a good season last year after a slow start, while Cam Talbot was steady without being spectacular. Daniil Tarasov is the newcomer, and if he can simply outperform Talbot, that could be enough to swing things in Detroit’s favor.
For now, the Red Wings appear set to lean on the Gibson-Tarasov tandem, even if both are really acting as stopgaps until Trey Augustine and Michal Postava are ready. The expectation isn’t that the goalies have to steal games every night. They just need to be average, provided the team in front of them handles its business.
That’s the catch. The margin for error may be thin.
In Other News...
Red Wings Blue Line Suddenly Carries A Bigger Question Than Fans Expected
The defense picture in Detroit got a little more crowded when the Red Wings claimed Andreas Englund off waivers, a move that adds another layer to a blue line already packed with young names trying to make their case. Englund arrives with some recent NHL turbulence behind him, having bounced around enough to remind everyone how quickly a depth chart can change at this time of year.
For the Red Wings, the more interesting part is what this means for the group below the surface, where Axel Sandin-Pellikka and Anton Johansson are still trying to carve out room in a system that has made prospect development a real priority. With Simon Edvinsson's contract situation still unresolved, Detroit suddenly has a more complicated decision in front of it, and the next few steps on defense may say as much about timing as talent. [Read more 🡒]
Red Wings Just Sent A Clear Opening Night Message To Fans
The Red Wings used Wednesdays practice to send a fairly clear preview of how they may want to open the season, and it came with a few notable wrinkles. Detroit ran a potential opening night lineup that leaned on several younger players in important spots, along with some new line combinations as the club continues trimming the roster ahead of Fridays deadline.
One of the more interesting pieces was in net, where Daniil Tarasov was the goaltender in the drill instead of John Gibson. The blue line also had a different look with Albert Johansson on the top pair next to Moritz Seider, while the team works toward settling its final group before facing the Rangers on opening night. [Read more 🡒]
Dylan Larkins Red Wings Exit Now Feels Like A Matter Of Time
Dylan Larkins situation has gone from a simmer to a full-blown storyline around the Red Wings as the season opens without him in the lineup. The captain has been sidelined by an upper-body injury since preseason, and even before the first puck dropped, the uncertainty around his future only grew after he requested a trade from Detroit.
Larkin has said he is trying to stay professional and win back the trust of his teammates, while also acknowledging the frustration on both sides with how this has played out. The list of teams he would accept a deal to has grown, which only adds to the sense that his time in Detroit is becoming harder to picture, even if the final step still hasnt happened. [Read more 🡒]