The Red Wings are kicking off their 2026-27 season tonight against the New York Rangers, and there’s plenty beyond the standings to keep an eye on right away. This group has a stack of milestones within reach, from first NHL games for young players to major career round numbers for established names.
Last season already gave Detroit fans a few benchmarks to celebrate. Dylan Larkin moved past 600 career points, Lucas Raymond reached 100 goals and 300 points, and Moritz Seider climbed beyond 200 career points. This year’s list is just as loaded, and in a few cases, the numbers are close enough to come fast.
Some of the most obvious milestones are the simplest ones. Alex DeBrincat is lined up to hit 700 games played, 300 goals, and 600 points, and all three should arrive within the first month of the season.
He’s also on track to become a top-250 goalscorer in league history and a top-400 scorer overall. The most interesting date on that calendar is October 29, when the Red Wings host the Chicago Blackhawks and DeBrincat could reach 300 goals against longtime teammate Patrick Kane.
Justin Faulk is another player sitting on the edge of a major number. He enters the season with 498 career points, so 500 could come as soon as tonight in the opener.
Moritz Seider is also closing in on a major scoring mark. He starts the season with 240 points and could get to 300 late in the year.
After posting a career-high 60 points in 82 games last season, he should have a real shot to match or top that pace in an 84-game schedule. His point total already places him 8th among German-born NHL players and 3rd among German defenders, and another strong offensive season could move him as high as 6th overall and 2nd among defenders.
Viktor Arvidsson is another player with a round number in sight. He has 443 career points and would need 57 more to reach 500.
That’s a solid ask, but not an impossible one. He has cleared that mark three times in his career, most recently in 2022-23 with 59 points for the Los Angeles Kings.
Last season he put up 54 points in just 69 games, which gives the target some real life.
There’s also a big scoring chase for Michael Brandsegg-Nygård, who currently has one career point and sits ninth all time in NHL scoring by a Norwegian-born player. If he gets to 23 points, he would move into sole possession of fifth.
If he reaches 36, third place is within reason. The top spot is a much bigger mountain, with Mats Zucarello beginning the season at 744 career points.
Ben Chiarot is on the radar too, even if offense isn’t the first thing people associate with him. He has 200 career points in his sights, and that would put him among the top 400 highest-scoring defensemen in NHL history.
More than 2,600 defensemen have played in the league, so that kind of total still stands out. Chiarot has been on a 17-point pace across his four seasons in Detroit, which rounds up to 18 over an 84-game schedule.
A few milestones are tied to players who could be reaching important career thresholds in specific games. Emmitt Finnie, a seventh-round pick in the 2023 Draft, is set to play his 100th career game on November 7 against the Colorado Avalanche after skating in all 82 games last season as a rookie. Anton Johansson, Carter Bear, and William Wallinder are all likely candidates to make their first NHL appearances this season as well.
John Gibson has a different kind of chase going. With 233 wins, he ranks 10th all time among American goalies.
Jimmy Howard is 9th with 246, Frank Brimsek is 8th with 252, and both are reachable this season. Mike Richter’s 301 wins for 7th place would take longer, likely at least another full season.
Marco Kasper is also climbing a nationality-based list. He has played 159 NHL games and is closing in on Andreas Nödl’s 183, which would move him into fifth among Austrian players in NHL games played. Vancouver Canucks centerman Marco Rossi is fourth with 237, while former Red Wing Thomas Vanek leads the category with 1,029 games played and 789 points.
For a team opening a new season, these milestones give the schedule a little extra texture. Some should arrive quickly.
Others will hang around as goals to watch. Either way, the Red Wings have no shortage of numbers worth tracking in 2026-27.
In Other News...
Red Wings Suddenly Have A Marco Kasper Concern After Opening Night
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The concern is not just the absence itself, but how it arrived in a game where Kasper was involved physically and left the kind of impression that tends to linger beyond the final buzzer. Detroit is still sorting through its lineup options, and with the schedule moving fast, the Red Wings are already facing an immediate question about how long they may have to manage without him. [Read more 🡒]
Red Wings Suddenly Have Another Core Player Standoff To Solve
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Edvinssons situation is especially notable because he has already returned to Sweden and is back with Frolunda HC after training camp. For Detroit, that only adds to the awkward timing of a negotiation that is supposed to help settle the blue lines future, not cloud it further. Instead, the Wings are left trying to sort out whether one of their promising defensemen will eventually be part of the long-term plan or become the next unresolved issue on a team that cant afford many more. [Read more 🡒]
Oilers Face One Costly Question In Any Lucas Raymond Pursuit
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That is why the Lucas Raymond chatter has drawn so much attention, especially with Edmonton floated as a possible partner if Detroit ever decides to take a bigger swing at a rebuild. Any pursuit would have to clear a steep price, and the kind of return being discussed would be the sort of package that forces both sides to think hard about timing, fit, and how much pain they are willing to absorb for a player with Raymonds upside. [Read more 🡒]