If the Detroit Red Wings are serious about changing course next season, the young players can’t be treated like porcelain. They need ice time, real chances and the freedom to make a mistake without getting buried for it. That means leaving behind the idea of “over-ripening” prospects and letting the kids learn on the job.
A few names stand out as the ones most likely to force their way into the lineup, and if the preseason breaks the right way, some of them could be full-time Red Wings by the end of the 2026-27 season.
Carter Bear is one of the easiest players to believe in because he already sounds like he gets it. He’s not talking about making the Red Wings tomorrow; he’s talking about building himself into a player Detroit can use when the time comes. In an interview with Red Wings media, Bear made that clear.
“It’s pro now, and it’s a whole new level of hockey,” Bear said. “It’s way different than juniors; it’s faster and you’ve gotta be smarter and stronger.
Like I said earlier, I just need to work on my game that Detroit wants me to work on and focus on that, and trust Detroit on whatever their best development is for me, and just trust that. I think it’ll all work out."
That mindset, along with what he’s done over the last couple of seasons with the Everett Silvertips, makes him worth keeping a close eye on. Based on his Eliteprospects page, he could eventually fit in the Red Wings’ top six on either wing or at center.
Michael Brandsegg-Nygard also feels like someone Detroit needs to count on. The Red Wings are staring at a serious goal-scoring hole after the departures of Patrick Kane, James van Riemsdyk and, potentially, Dylan Larkin, leaving the team short 65 goals. For a club that already had trouble producing offense, that’s a real problem.
Brandsegg-Nygard showed plenty in Grand Rapids last season, finishing with 20 goals and 24 assists for 44 points in 60 games. That kind of production won’t automatically translate to the NHL, but it’s a strong sign.
His blend of physical play and goal-scoring touch should at least help cover some of the ground left by James van Riemsdyk’s 15 goals. If he can bring more than that, it becomes a major win for the roster.
He just needs the chance.
Nate Danielson might be the player under the most pressure. He turns 22 this season, and if he can’t crack the roster, the organization will have to start looking at what comes next. The good news is that Detroit seems ready to give him every shot to make it.
Whether that means skating alongside Alex DeBrincat or earning a spot on his own, Danielson should get a fair look. His brief run with the Red Wings last season showed some promise, as he picked up seven points in 28 games.
Injuries likely kept his AHL numbers from climbing even higher, too. He wrapped up the 2025-26 season with 15 points in 18 games for the Griffins.
With center depth needed, Danielson has to prove he belongs if he wants to become a regular in the Winged Wheel.
On the blue line, Anton Johansson looks like a possible surprise. Detroit has other young defensemen in the mix, including William Wallinder, who just signed a one-year deal, and Shai Buium.
But Johansson has separated himself. He arrived late last season and quickly became one of the Griffins’ top defenders.
He brings the kind of physical, heavy style Detroit has wanted from its defensemen. Former Red Wings defenseman Niklas Kronwall was especially impressed by his drive to improve.
"I think he's still just growing, growing and growing," said Kronwall. "It's incredibly fun to see him here during the WC and how he handles it.
I don't think we've seen the roof of what he can do. He's only at the beginning and there's more to pick up there too,"
Axel Sandin-Pellikka may already be too good to feel like a traditional prospect, but he still belongs in this conversation. He played 68 games last season and scored 21 points, yet there still isn’t a clear opening for him on the roster, which means he’ll have to win a job this preseason.
He’s had the offseason to get stronger, and that matters because one of the biggest concerns with his game was that he could be knocked off the puck too easily. A stronger frame and a sharper approach should help him handle the NHL grind better.
Once he adjusts fully to that pace, the tools are there for him to become a force for years. And when Justin Faulk is moved or reaches free agency, Sandin-Pellikka looks like the player who should step into that second-pairing role.
The real question with him isn’t whether he’ll get there. It’s when.
In Other News...
Red Wings May Have Let Needed Scoring Help Slip Away
As Detroit looks for ways to add offense, one of the more interesting near-misses from the offseason was a reunion that apparently got close enough to matter. Reports said the Red Wings had a deal lined up to bring back Anthony Mantha as an unrestricted free agent, a move that would have added a familiar, needed scoring presence to the roster before the talks stalled out and the winger ended up with the New Jersey Devils on a two-year contract.
The wrinkle is where the process hit a wall, with internal deliberations slowing things down at a time when Detroit could have used a cleaner decision. It is the kind of missed opportunity that lingers because it sits right alongside the clubs broader hunt for finishing help, especially now that other teams keep circling available scoring options and the Red Wings are left to wonder how different the depth chart might look if that one had gotten over the line. [Read more 🡒]
Red Wings Fans Have One Big Question About Theo Rochette
Theo Rochettes move to Detroit brings an intriguing layer of added competition to the Red Wings depth picture, and it is the kind of signing that can pay off quietly if the players development keeps trending the right way. The European free agent has already linked up with the organization and, just as important, he is approaching the opportunity with a clear plan to stay in North America and make his case for an NHL job rather than treating this as a stopover.
Rochette has also done his homework on what it takes to bridge that gap, leaning on former Red Wings players for perspective as he settles into a new challenge. He has drawn inspiration from Pius Suter, whose own path from Switzerland to the NHL offers a familiar blueprint for the kind of jump Rochette is trying to make, and the next question for Detroit is whether that background can translate into a real roster push. [Read more 🡒]
Red Wings New Regime Faces A Huge Cap Space Debate
The Red Wings new front office is staring at a rare kind of problem in the NHL, one that usually only comes around when a rebuild starts to turn a corner: real spending power. Detroit is projected to carry significant salary cap space in the coming seasons, even after taking care of restricted free agent Simon Edvinsson, and that flexibility could shape everything from short-term roster tweaks to how aggressively the team can chase upgrades.
The bigger debate is what to do with all of that room before it starts to disappear. By the time the 2027 free agent period rolls around, Detroit could be sitting on close to $40 million in space depending on re-signings and trades, with Alex DeBrincat and other coming-off-the-books contracts helping define the picture. Add in the expected rise of the salary cap, and the Wings are in position to be patient or pounce, but the real challenge is deciding which path best accelerates the roster without sacrificing the long-term plan. [Read more 🡒]