The Detroit Red Wings did address some real needs on Wednesday. They got more five-on-five scoring by signing Viktor Arvidsson, added some edge and forechecking bite by trading for Vegas Golden Knights forward Keegan Kolesar, and brought in a steady backup option in Daniil Tarasov, formerly of the Florida Panthers.
But none of that changes the fact that the biggest piece of their offseason still isn’t settled.
Until Dylan Larkin’s trade request is resolved, the whole picture stays cloudy. And with Patrick Kane still unsigned as of Wednesday night, Detroit’s roster situation looks even shakier.
Arvidsson gives the Red Wings something they badly lacked. His 18 five-on-five goals last season were more than any Detroit player managed in 2025-26, and his 25 goals overall marked his sixth NHL season with at least 20 and fifth with at least 25.
He’s quick, he can shoot, and he should slide into the top six. The one caution flag: his 3.06 points per 60 at five-on-five was third-best in the league last season, and that kind of number doesn’t usually repeat.
Kolesar fills a different hole. His 270 hits ranked seventh in the NHL, and he brings the kind of physical presence Detroit’s bottom six lacked last season.
Those are useful additions. They just may not be enough to move the Red Wings where they want to go.
The real issue is how this team looks against the Atlantic Division right now. With Larkin and Kane, Detroit probably would have been in the mix with Toronto, Boston and Ottawa for that fifth spot in the division, with a chance to hang around the wild-card race. Without either one, last in the Atlantic starts to look like a very real outcome.
Technically, Larkin is still on the roster, and Steve Yzerman has said he made no guarantees about honoring the captain’s request. But unless there’s a major reversal, it’s hard to picture Larkin lining up for Detroit next season.
Whatever comes back in a Larkin trade will matter, of course. Picks, prospects or players will all have value. But even the best-case return is unlikely to land the Red Wings a true No. 1 center who can replace Larkin’s impact in 2026.
That’s why the broader outlook feels so bleak. Detroit has pieces worth building around - Moritz Seider, who just finished top five for the Norris Trophy, Simon Edvinsson, Lucas Raymond and Alex DeBrincat - but the division around them is not standing still.
Boston already finished ahead of the Red Wings with Larkin in the lineup, and the Bruins also have Jeremy Swayman in goal. Ottawa, Toronto and the rest of the division create a landscape where it’s hard to find many teams Detroit can clearly say it’s better than.
There is still time for more movement, and maybe a lot more. But for now, the Red Wings may be better off leaning into the uncertainty and giving real ice time to young forwards Marco Kasper, Emmitt Finnie, Nate Danielson and Michael Brandsegg-Nygård, along with Carter Mazur, who re-upped on a two-year deal Wednesday.
That wouldn’t make Detroit a contender without Larkin. It would, however, give the organization a chance to see what those younger players can handle while Arvidsson and Kolesar help round out the lineup.
For an organization already stuck in a 10-year playoff drought, that’s a tough place to land. It’s also where the Red Wings are right now. Steve Yzerman and ownership have to live with that reality, at least for the moment.
The alternative would be to chase a mid-to-late-20s player close to Larkin’s level and try to claw back into the wild-card conversation. That’s possible. It just doesn’t sound like a great plan.
So Detroit waits, and Detroit weighs. The offseason isn’t over, but the Red Wings’ outlook for 2026 is already looking rough.
In Other News...
This Free Agent Could Fix A Red Wings Problem Fast
With cap space to work with, the Red Wings are in position to chase a roster upgrade when free agency opens, and one name to keep an eye on is a winger who has quietly built a reputation as a reliable two-way piece. He has turned in solid offensive production in recent seasons while also handling the defensive side of the job, which makes him a tidy fit for a team that wants more balance without sacrificing structure.
For Detroit, the appeal is obvious because the move would not require a top-line role to make sense. A player like this could slide into the bottom six and help on the penalty kill, giving the club a clearer answer in areas that have needed reinforcement. The catch is that if he reaches the market, he should have no shortage of suitors, so the Red Wings may need to move quickly to turn interest into a deal. [Read more 🡒]
Red Wings Just Lost A Center Option Fans Were Watching
Detroits search for a center option took another hit when Nashville swooped in and landed Mavrik Bourque from Dallas, a move that also sent Ilya Lyubushkin to the Predators for two second-round picks. Bourque had been the kind of young, productive target that could have fit what the Red Wings have been trying to line up as they keep looking for help down the middle.
For a team still sorting through its center picture, the loss matters because the market is already narrowing. Elias Pettersson has been mentioned as a possibility, though he would come at a steep price, and the idea of using future assets from a Dylan Larkin deal to chase younger names like Shane Wright or Matty Beniers may be part of the long game. For now, though, one of the more appealing options is gone, and Detroit keeps having to move on to the next possibility. [Read more 🡒]
Yzerman Just Made A Forward Move Red Wings Fans Will Debate
Steve Yzerman keeps looking for ways to thicken the Red Wings forward group, and this latest move fits that pattern. Detroit added Keegan Kolesar from the Vegas Golden Knights, a depth winger who has spent his entire NHL career in one uniform and arrives with two years left on his contract at a $2.5 million cap hit.
The price was a 2029 third-round pick and a 2027 seventh-round pick, the kind of cost that suggests the Wings see a useful fit rather than a splashy swing. Kolesar has been a reliable bottom-six presence for Vegas, which is exactly the sort of profile that can divide a fan base: some will see a practical addition to the roster, while others will wonder whether Detroit has spent draft capital on a player whose ceiling is already well defined. [Read more 🡒]