The Detroit Red Wings’ big-league picture is clouded by Dylan Larkin’s trade request, but the organization’s prospect group keeps moving in the right direction.
That pipeline got another boost in the 2026 draft, when Detroit added seven players: No. 23 pick J.P. Hurlbert, No. 47 Victor Plante, No. 75 goalie Michal Orsulak, No. 108 center Adam Levac, No. 143 center Beckham Edwards, No. 175 left wing Luka Arkko and No. 196 right defenseman Myles Brosnan.
With those names now in the system, it’s a good time to sort out where everyone fits in the Red Wings’ updated prospect rankings for the 2026 offseason.
The top spot belongs to Michael Brandsegg-Nygard, and his rise is easy to explain. Detroit’s 2024 first-round pick took a step forward in 2025-26, bounced back after a demotion to the AHL and finished strong.
He put up 20 goals and 44 points in 60 AHL games, then added eight points in eight playoff games. He carried that momentum into the 2026 World Championship, where he helped Norway win bronze and posted six points in five games.
Brandsegg-Nygard now looks NHL-ready, and the expectation is that he’ll spend all of 2026-27 in Detroit while providing secondary scoring.
A few other prospects also climbed after strong years. Trey Augustine moved from No. 7 to No.
2, Michal Postava jumped from No. 21 to No. 8, Max Plante rose from No. 11 to No.
7, Anton Johansson went from No. 13 to No. 9, Eddie Genborg climbed from No. 15 to No. 11 and Larry Keenan moved from No. 23 to No.
Postava’s leap was about more than just performance. He went from an unknown to a known quantity, showing that his athleticism and puck-tracking translated to the smaller ice surface. That was enough for Red Wings brass to feel comfortable moving Sebastian Cossa, and while Augustine still has the higher ceiling, Postava looks close to the NHL.
The new draft class also changed the shape of the rankings. J.P.
Hurlbert lands at No. 5, Victor Plante checks in at No.
14, Michal Orsulak at No. 15, Adam Levac at No. 21 and Beckham Edwards at No.
Looking ahead to 2026-27, three prospects stand out as candidates to make noticeable jumps by this time next year: Rudy Guimond at No. 19, Beckham Edwards at No. 22 and Brent Solomon at No.
- All three are headed to the NCAA, where the competition will be tougher.
The broader picture is clear enough. Detroit’s prospect pool is deeper than it is star-driven.
Only Brandsegg-Nygard and Carter Bear project as clear top-six forwards, while Augustine could become the team’s starting goalie down the line. Beyond that, the system is loaded with players who look like NHL contributors rather than true difference-makers.
Even so, there’s real value in the volume. The Red Wings have enough legitimate NHL hopefuls to consider consolidation, using surplus at one position to address a weakness elsewhere.
The deal that sent Sebastian Cossa to the Utah Mammoth and brought back J.P. Hurlbert is the kind of move that shows how that approach can work.
Detroit may still have plenty of uncertainty at the NHL level, but the prospect pipeline is in good shape and gives the organization options.
In Other News...
Red Wings Fans Just Got Another Reason To Doubt Larkin Pick Packages
Bill Armstrongs explanation for why Utah matched the Barrett Hayton offer sheet landed well beyond Salt Lake City, because it put a familiar NHL debate back in the spotlight: how much trust should a general manager place in draft picks when a proven center is on the table? For Red Wings fans, it is the same tension that always follows Dylan Larkin chatter. Steve Yzerman has been careful about the kind of return he would even consider, and the broader message from around the league is clear enough. Picks are useful, but they are far from sure things, especially when the player in question is already established.
The numbers only sharpen that caution. Second-round selections from 2011 to 2020 have turned into regular NHL players only about 30 to 34 percent of the time, while even late first-rounders are hardly locks. That is why teams keep treating premium centers like assets you do not replace with a stack of futures unless the offer is loaded with real certainty. For Detroit, it is another reminder that any Larkin package would have to be built around proven help, not just the promise of what might develop years down the road. [Read more 🡒]
Red Wings Face Growing Tension Around Simon Edvinsson's Future
Simon Edvinssons offseason has already become one of the more closely watched items on the Red Wings docket, even after a season that showed why Detroit wants him around. The young defenseman played 72 games and set career highs in goals and assists, giving the blue line the kind of two-way growth the organization has been building toward as it tries to keep its core intact.
Lucas Raymond, meanwhile, is moving into the third season of his eight-year extension and was recently seen alongside Edvinsson and Rasmus Dahlin at a Luke Combs concert, a reminder of how intertwined these young Swedish stars remain away from the rink. For Detroit, the bigger question is how quickly the Edvinsson situation settles, because every passing week keeps the focus on a player whose next step matters to the roster and to the teams long-term plans. [Read more 🡒]
Red Wings Offseason Is Stuck On One Massive Unresolved Situation
Dylan Larkins situation has become the kind of offseason hold-up that can shape everything else around it. The Red Wings captain remains at the center of a trade discussion with Steve Yzerman, and until there is clarity on where that goes, Detroits roster picture stays a little blurry. It is the sort of unresolved business that hangs over a teams summer, especially when the player involved is still under contract and the front office is trying to map out the next step without forcing the issue.
Yzerman does have time to work through it, with months still left to find a deal that makes sense for the organization. The wrinkle is that Detroit is not approaching this like a standard futures swap, which narrows the field and makes the negotiation more delicate. If nothing comes together, Larkin could still be on the roster when the season opens, a possibility that keeps this from being a clean break and leaves the Red Wings waiting on a decision that could define the direction of the whole offseason. [Read more 🡒]