Prospect hockey is already creeping back into view, and that means the wait for the full NHL season is starting to feel a lot shorter. The first preseason action has already reached some of the younger names in the pipeline, with players like Eddie Genborg, the 44th pick in 2025, getting a first taste of SHL exhibition play and Adam Levac, selected 108th in 2026, taking his first preseason steps in the OHL.
The NHL side of things is moving, too. Players around the league have begun showing up at their home rinks as the offseason winds down, and with the prospect tournament arriving next week, the Red Wings are staring at a busy stretch before their group fully reports back to Hockeytown. The shortened NHL preseason begins in just eleven days, so there’s not much time left for the roster picture to settle.
One place that should not be penciled in for NHL hockey anytime soon is the Atlanta metro area. Recent talk around expansion had pointed back toward the city that once housed the Thrashers and Flames, but a statement from Krause Entertainment, the primary group pushing the idea of bringing the league back to Atlanta, made it clear those return rumors may have gotten ahead of themselves.
Whether Atlanta ever lands a third NHL franchise remains a question for another year. For now, the league appears to be headed toward a Texas expansion team, and that has sparked the bigger question of how soon the NHL might look north instead of continuing to grow south.
Elsewhere, Bob Duff took a look at where the Red Wings’ farmhands, past and present, stand right now.
And in Red Wings Extra, Alex DeBrincat’s offseason has included plenty of golf and plenty of family time. The 28-year-old Michigan-born winger, a devoted golfer who’s often seen with clubs in hand when he’s away from the ice, has been sharing that side of the game with his two sons this year.
In Other News...
Dylan Larkin Just Got Pulled Into Trade Chatter Red Wings Fans Hate
Offseason trade talk has a way of grabbing hold of every big name on the board, and Dylan Larkin is the latest to get caught up in the swirl. The discussion around the Edmonton Oilers has already ranged across a handful of high-end players, from Quinn Hughes to Connor Hellebuyck to Chris Kreider, with cap space, team needs and player preferences all part of the calculation.
For Red Wings fans, the mere fact that Larkin is being mentioned in the same breath as trade chatter is enough to make the summer feel a little less quiet. The noise around Edmonton may keep building as the market sorts itself out, but this is also the kind of situation where one front office decision can change the whole conversation before anything ever gets close to serious. [Read more 🡒]
Red Wings Prospect Return Brings Relief And One Big Offensive Question
Eddie Genborgs return to the ice offered the kind of update Red Wings followers were hoping to hear after a quiet summer around one of the organizations more intriguing prospects. His preseason appearance in the Swedish Hockey League pointed to a player moving past the undisclosed injury he picked up in the AHL playoffs, and it also suggested he should be ready when the SHL regular season opens. For Detroit, that matters because Genborg has been viewed as a possible physical presence in the prospect pool, the sort of player who can make shifts more difficult for opponents.
The bigger question, though, is whether that blend of size and edge is enough for a system that still needs more offense from its pipeline. Genborg is not at Red Wings training camp, so there is no immediate chance to see how he stacks up against the organizations other young forwards in camp settings. His progress is encouraging, but Detroits long-term outlook still turns on whether enough of these prospects can do more than just play hard and win space. [Read more 🡒]
Max Plante Just Gave Red Wings Fans A Bigger Reason To Watch
Max Plante is adding another line to his hockey resume, and it is the kind that Red Wings fans can file away for later. The 2024 second-round pick has been named captain of the University of Minnesota Duluth for the upcoming NCAA season, a notable step for a player who already owns a Hobey Baker Award and has become one of the more interesting long-term pieces in Detroits prospect pipeline.
For the Red Wings, the appointment is less about the letter on his sweater than what it says about his trajectory. Leadership roles at the college level can matter as much as raw skill when a young player is trying to show he can handle the next level, and Plantes path will keep drawing attention as the season unfolds. The only real question now is how soon Detroit decides to bring that development under its own roof. [Read more 🡒]