The NHL’s Calder Trophy conversation already has a Red Wings angle, and it comes through Michael Brandsegg-Nygard.
The Athletic slotted Detroit’s 2024 first-round pick 18th on its Top 20 Calder candidates list, putting the Norwegian winger in a field led by Philadelphia Flyers right wing Porter Martone at No. 1, followed by San Jose Sharks left wing Ivar Stenberg and Toronto Maple Leafs left wing Gavin McKenna. Brandsegg-Nygard, drafted 13th in 2024, is one of the names getting early notice before the season even starts.
He’ll have to meet the league’s rookie requirements to qualify. The NHL says a player “cannot have played more than 25 games in any single preceding season nor in six or more games in each of any two preceding seasons” and “must not have attained his 26th birthday by Sept. 15 of the season in which he is eligible.”
Detroit Hockey Now ranked Brandsegg-Nygard as the organization’s No. 1 prospect this summer, and the numbers from his last year help explain why. He scored 20 goals and totaled 44 points for the Grand Rapids Griffins, then added eight points in eight playoff games.
He still isn’t guaranteed a spot on the Red Wings roster this season, but the path to ice time is there. Detroit is expected to be thin offensively again, and that picture gets even shakier if the team eventually trades Dylan Larkin.
Patrick Kane is already gone through free agency.
Brandsegg-Nygard gives Detroit a real shot at another layer of offense. He has a quick release, a hard shot and the kind of game that could make him a power-play option in the role once held by Kane or Larkin.
Athletic analyst Corey Pronman described him this way: “He plays a highly projectable, pro-style game. He’s a tenacious competitor who wins a ton of puck battles and boasts a heavy, accurate shot. He’s not the flashiest offensive player but he has enough speed and skill to project to be able to tilt the ice at the next level.”
Detroit has had Calder success before. Moritz Seider won the award four years ago, and before him the last Red Wings player to do it was Roger Crozier in 1965.
Elsewhere around the organization, former Red Wings player Landon Ferraro has taken over as the new color analyst for Winnipeg Jets television broadcasts. Harvard’s Rudy Guimond has also carved out a spot in Detroit’s group of promising young goaltenders.
And there was a notable little snapshot from Grand Rapids: the Griffins posted a photo of Brad Stuart, Todd Bertuzzi and Niklas Kronwall, and the child in the picture is Bertuzzi’s son, Tag. He’s now on the Griffins roster after putting up 16 goals and 31 points for the Adirondack Thunder in the ECHL.
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Red Wings Head Toward Camp With Dylan Larkin Uncertainty Growing
Detroit is heading toward training camp in a strangely unsettled place, with no general manager in place and the biggest question hanging over captain Dylan Larkin. The leadership group now in charge is viewed as temporary, which only adds to the sense that any major move involving the face of the franchise would be better handled by a new voice in the front office rather than a stopgap arrangement.
That uncertainty is why the Larkin situation feels like it could linger well into camp. He is expected to be there when camp opens, and the next steps may depend on how the broader market develops once a permanent GM is hired. If the list of acceptable trade options stays tight, the path forward could require Larkin to report, suit up, and let the season shape whatever comes next. [Read more 🡒]
Red Wings Still Have One Roster Concern Hanging Over This Season
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The unsettled part is still the middle of the ice, where the team has not yet solved every question behind Dylan Larkin. Andrew Copp, Marco Kasper and J.T. Compher are in the mix, but the depth chart there does not inspire the same confidence as the rest of the lineup, and goaltending remains a concern after last season. Before long, the Red Wings also need to sort out their front office situation, which adds another layer to a critical stretch of summer. [Read more 🡒]
Red Wings Draftee Suddenly Faces A Tougher Fight For SHL Ice Time
Charlie Forslund is trying to turn a camp invite with Brynas into a real spot in Swedens SHL, and the early message from the staff is clear: nothing is being handed to the Detroit Red Wings draftee. Coach Niklas Gllstedt has liked the development Forslund has shown, but he still wants more from his puck handling and his willingness to attack when the opportunity is there.
The timing of Brynas roster work does not help Forslund much either. The clubs recent addition of Calle Jarnkrok, another former Red Wings draftee, adds more competition in a battle that is already being judged shift by shift, leaving Forslund with a narrow path to prove he belongs before camp decisions get tighter. [Read more 🡒]