The Red Wings are heading into the week with more than just a packed schedule to manage. Detroit’s early-season picture is being shaped by injuries, a trade request, a stalled contract situation, and a lineup that already needs adjusting after a 2-0 loss to the New York Rangers on opening night.
The biggest name in the mix is Dylan Larkin. On Oct. 2, the Red Wings placed the veteran center on non-roster injured reserve, retroactive to mid-August.
Larkin suffered an upper-body injury while training off the ice in September, and that has kept him out of camp and the early preseason slate. His public request for a trade has only added another layer of attention, and it showed up in the mixed reaction from the home crowd when the team was introduced on opening night.
There’s also uncertainty on the back end. Restricted free agent defenseman Simon Edvinsson remains in a contract stalemate, and he’s currently training on his own in Sweden.
Over the weekend, his representation requested a trade. With Edvinsson unavailable, Moritz Seider, Axel Sandin-Pellikka, and Albert Johansson are taking on heavier minutes to help hold the blue line together early.
That leaves Todd McLellan with some real lineup work to do up front. Without a top-line center, J.T.
Compher, Andrew Copp, and prospect Nate Danielson are being pushed into bigger roles. The Red Wings are also leaning on Lucas Raymond and Alex DeBrincat to create dangerous looks and help move the puck through transition.
Against the Rangers, Detroit had a hard time getting bodies and pucks to the front of the net. The result was a lack of second-chance opportunities and not much sustained pressure around the crease.
To address that, McLellan has brought newly acquired forward Keegan Kolesar and veteran Viktor Arvidsson onto the active roster. The goal is to make the forecheck heavier, work the boards harder, and spend more time in the offensive zone.
The week ahead gives Detroit little room to settle in. The Red Wings have three games from Oct. 4-11, starting with two at home before a road trip to Montreal. The schedule opens with Ottawa at Little Caesars Arena on Tue, Oct. 6, 2026 at 7:00 PM ET, followed by Seattle at Little Caesars Arena on Fri, Oct. 9, 2026 at 7:00 PM ET, and then Montreal at Centre Bell on Sat, Oct. 10, 2026 at 7:00 PM ET.
The games against Ottawa and Montreal will be especially revealing for a defense already stretched thin. If Detroit is going to survive this early run with points, it will need a structured, disciplined five-on-five game while the roster remains in flux.
In Other News...
Red Wings Suddenly Have A Marco Kasper Concern After Opening Night
Marco Kaspers opening night with the Red Wings already came with a jolt, and now Detroit has a little more reason to keep an eye on its young center. Kasper is dealing with an upper-body injury, which is the kind of early-season issue that can quickly alter a teams plans, especially for a player still trying to carve out a bigger role.
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
The Red Wings are already juggling enough uncertainty, and now another young piece of their future has become part of the picture. Simon Edvinsson, a restricted free agent on the back end, is in a standoff with Detroit as the club continues to push for an extension while the players side is not engaged in talks. With Dylan Larkins trade request still hanging over the roster and no permanent general manager in place, the organization suddenly has another core decision to navigate.
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
Detroits summer has already carried enough turbulence to make any new trade rumor land with extra force. With captain Dylan Larkin already having asked out and defenseman Simon Edvinsson still unsigned while reportedly preferring a move, the Red Wings are staring at a messy stretch in which almost anything feels possible as the organization tries to sort out its next direction.
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 🡒]