Emmitt Finnie is starting to look like exactly the kind of late-round swing that can change the feel of a draft class.
The Detroit Red Wings have done this before. They’ve taken a player deep in the draft and watched him force his way into a bigger job.
Henrik Zetterberg did it. Jonathan Ericsson did it.
Now Finnie, a 2023 seventh-round pick, is pushing himself into that same conversation.
That’s not supposed to happen very often, which is why Finnie’s rise stands out. The 2024 draft delivered the headliners - Connor Bedard of the San Jose Sharks and Leo Carlsson of the Anaheim Ducks - but a seventh-rounder turning into a real contributor is the kind of value that can quietly reshape a team’s outlook. Finnie has every chance to be the steal of the 2023 NHL Draft.
He arrived in 2025-26 as a rookie skating with Dylan Larkin and Lucas Raymond, then spent the season moving up and down the lineup while still hanging onto meaningful ice time. This year, though, he’s looking more than just useful. He has all but taken over the top-line center spot from Dylan Larkin, who appears checked out on the ice.
Detroit has paired Finnie with Michael Brandsegg-Nygard and Alex DeBrincat, and the combination has given the Red Wings a line built to create offense. So far, it has been Detroit’s most effective scoring trio.
That showed up during last night’s game, when Finnie’s line combined for four points. Finnie had a goal and an assist in the effort.
Through 90 career games, he has 35 points, which puts him ninth among scoring leaders from the 2023 draft class. That puts him in the mix with Easton Cowan of the Toronto Maple Leafs, who went 28th overall.
Not bad for a seventh-round pick.
Finnie’s start to this season has only added to the case. He has five points in eight games, which ties him for fourth on the Red Wings. DeBrincat and Brandsegg-Nygard sit first and second on the team, and if that line keeps driving play at this pace, Finnie’s totals should climb well beyond his 30-point rookie season.
That does not mean he’s suddenly on the level of Bedard or Carlsson. It does mean Detroit’s amateur scouting staff deserves credit for finding a player this late who can already matter this much.
Finnie’s appeal is easy to see: he can fit just about anywhere. A coach can drop him into different spots in the lineup and still get something useful back.
He can work as a skilled option in the bottom six or bring speed and energy to the top line. That versatility has a way of spreading through a team.
And for the Red Wings, Finnie looks like part of something bigger. This is what a real youth movement looks like when a team commits to it. Detroit has seen flashes of it before, but this time the organization seems ready to lean all the way in.
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Red Wings Escape Another Shaky Night Before A Tough Road Swing
The Red Wings avoided a costly slip Thursday night at Little Caesars Arena, squeezing past the San Jose Sharks 4-3 in a shootout to steady themselves before a demanding trip west. Detroit is still trying to find its rhythm early in the season, but the win nudged the club to 3-3-2 and offered at least a little breathing room as the schedule turns tougher.
Alex DeBrincat helped rescue the night with a late equalizer, and Lucas Raymond finished it off in the shootout as Detroit found a way to leave home with two points. Now the focus shifts quickly to a four-game road swing that opens Oct. 20 against the Seattle Kraken, a stretch that should say a lot about how far the Wings have come from these uneven opening nights. [Read more 🡒]
Red Wings Keep Showing Fight But This Trend Could Become A Problem
The Red Wings keep finding ways to stay in games, and Sundays 4-3 shootout win over the Sharks at Little Caesars Arena was another example of the resilience they have shown early this season. Down 3-1 entering the third period, Detroit got goals from Emmitt Finnie and Alex DeBrincat to force extra time, then pulled out the extra point behind a composed effort in goal from John Gibson, who finished with 31 saves. It pushed the Red Wings to 3-3-2, which is the kind of record that reflects both the fight and the inconsistency they are still trying to smooth out.
Lucas Raymond provided the decisive touch in the shootout, and his night carried a little extra weight given the way the season has started for him. Detroit will take the two points and the comeback, but the broader concern is harder to ignore: the team has repeatedly had to dig itself out of trouble rather than control games from the start. For a roster trying to build momentum, that trend can become a problem if it keeps putting stress on the same late-game formula. [Read more 🡒]
Red Wings Showed The Late Fight Fans Have Been Waiting For
The Red Wings finally found the kind of late push their fans have been waiting to see, rallying for a 4-3 shootout win over the San Jose Sharks in a game that asked plenty of them along the way. Detroit got steady contributions from Justin Faulk and Emmitt Finnie, while San Jose answered with work from Dmitry Orlov and Ivar Stenberg, setting up a back-and-forth night that stayed tight deep into the third period.
The bigger moment came when Detroit killed an overtime power play and carried the game into the shootout, where Lucas Raymond delivered the decisive goal. Alex DeBrincat had already done his part by tying it late in regulation, and the win offered a glimpse of the kind of urgency and resilience the Red Wings have been trying to bottle all season. [Read more 🡒]